Rise and Shine

Buenos días!! Quería desearle a todo el mundo un feliz Juernes y que ya casi estamos a fin de semana! A darle ese ultimo empujón!!

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Good morning people! Just wanted to wish everyone a happy Thursday, we are almost at the weekend! Lets give it that last umph to get through today and tomorrow!!

Are you a foodie?

Piacere Caffe - Plaza de la Sagrada Familia 6

I don't necessarily consider myself a foodie, I just know I like food. Today I wanted to share with you guys a coffee shop I went to in Barcelona a few weeks ago. Its nothing out of the ordinary but they had one of the best croissants I have ever had, its a small, cozy and cute.. basically everything you want from a coffee shop.

No me considero una foodie, solo se que la comida... me encanta! Hoy quería compartir con ustedes un coffee shop al que fui durante mi visita a Barcelona hace unas semanas. No es el IT spot de BCN ni nada por el estilo pero tenían uno de los mejores croissants que he comido, es un sitio pequeño, acogedor y mono... básicamente todo lo que se busca en un coffee shop.

Cachivache.. Sitios con encanto

Saw it. Want it. Got it.

Well my friends... For those of you who read frequently, or to those just tuning in, some of you may know I posted recently about desperately wanting a Nespresso... and well... I finally got it! And I must admit it makes the most handsome addition to my kitchen and I have been using it non stop! I could not be happier... not to mention that the Customer Service at the Nespresso Boutique in El Corte Ingles near my home was amaziing! Now I´m just exited to try all the flavors and decide which will be my regulars!  

Coffee Fiend (Part2)

Ok, so here I am, faced with a huuge dilemma (at least it is one for a coffee addict like me) I spent the weekend at a friends where our morning coffees were sponsored by non other than Nespresso, which I had tried a million times before and have been wanting the machine for a while, but after coming home and having a plain ol' cup of joe with my breakfast.... it isn't the same! I NEED A NESPRESSO! The thing is if I end up going back home, out electrical outlets are different.... so then what happens to my baby? 

Needless to say I am very stubborn person and when I get something in my head I can't get it out till I solve the problem... So yea, be prepared for a future post about me ranting and raving over my new Nespresso....

Culinarily Spoiled

Before starting with regular programing I would just like to say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, whether you celebrate it or not. See to me this holiday isn't about having been born in America or it being an American holiday. The root of of Thanksgiving is just that, taking a day to share with family and friends to say thank you for a good year and for all the blessings life has given you. So whether your eating turkey and pumpkin pie today or just going about your normal routine, take a second to gives THANKS. 

On this day I am lucky enough to living in Madrid, as some of you may know, studying to get my masters degree. I actually ventured out early this morning to my nearest supermarket to try and see if there were ingredients to make either a pumpkin pie or a sweet potato casserole much to my disappointment there was neither. So here I am....back home telling you this story.

On the other hand, I can also give thanks that I am very culinarily spoiled, one of my roommates has become quite skill full in the kitchen and likes to experiment (yes, the same one that makes those Nutella cookies I can't eat ). Yesterday, I walk in and find her making some sort of egg concoction which looked very interesting. She asked me if I wanted some, sure enough I was on board.

What you need:

Muffin tin

Eggs 

Salt & Pepper

Any veggies you desire, can also add bacon and cheese

S made these by whisking eggs, seasoning with Salt & Pepper. Then she added spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes. Pour into muffin tins and bake in a preheated oven at 150 degrees. Check in on the mini muffins after about 15 minutes and should be ready in about 20. They should be the cosistency seen above.

Enjoy with a warm cup of coffee or tea.

S ²

My favorite vintage style Coffee mug. 

Saturday + Sunday = S ² [...]
This weekend has gone by much faster than I would've liked. Friday, Saturday and Sunday seem to just blur into one single day. Saturday was relaxing for the most part, breakfast on the couch  which I love and my roommate S (name to remain anonymous) made, what I have decided is her signature dessert, the Nutella Cookie. Now for those of you that don't know (which is all of you) I am HIGHLY allergic to nuts. The main component in Nutella? Hazelnut, this was bound to be a recepie for disaster (pun totally intended) but I couldnt resist sneaking into the kitchen to capture the cookie making process. I'll leave you with the recipie for those interested.

Nutella Cookie recipe: 

(courtesy of http://tastykitchen.com)

1 cup Nutella
½ cups Sugar
1 cup All-purpose Flour
1 whole Egg

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Blend all ingredients together well. 

Form into 1″ balls. 

Place on a cookie sheet. 

Press down firmly with the bottom of a glass. 

Bake 7-8 minutes or until set. Cool.

Sunday as usual in my house is dedicated to homework, studying and eating. It was my turn to make dinner, so I prepared a Chicken in a Mustard-Cream sauce with a veggie rice.

Really simple to make:

• Cut about half an onion and 1/4 of a medium pepper into small pieces
• Cut chicken breast into small squares and season with: Salt, pepper, granulated garlic and rosemary
• Sautee onion in sunflower oil till transparent, then add chicken
• Once chicken is cooked add about 3 table spoons of mustard. Mix
• While this is cooking make a quick rice and when water is almost all evaporated add: Green peppers, onion and corn.
• When mustard is incorperated add about 1/4 cup of heavy cream and splashes of milk so it isn't so thick.

Plate and enjoy.

But my favorite part of the entire weekend? Something so tiny and insignificant as the debut of the Christmas decorations in the apartment. Even though its still a month away seeing them around the house just makes me happy.