I grew up in Ponce eating Gazpacho, a different Gazpacho though, not a soup but rather like a substantial salad with BACALAO (salted Cod Fish). However, years later, I became familiar with the Spain Gazpacho and love it too. Then, I came up with what I like in my Gazpacho and the texture. Instead of a creamy soup, I like to enjoy the texture of all these glorious veggies.
 
Category:  SIDE
Approx. Prep and Cook Time:   15 Minutes
Approximate Cost:    $2.00 or $1.00 per serving
Difficulty Level:  Easy
Allergens, Other:  Gluten Free __X__   Vegetarian __X__  
Servings: 2+
 
Ingredients
2 c. Tomatoes, mix of cherry, Roma or grapevine, chopped (from my garden)
½ red Onion, chopped (.40)
2 large Garlic cloves, chopped (.10)
1 small green and 1 small yellow pepper, seeded and chopped (from my garden)
1 small Jalapeno, seeded and chopped (from my garden)
1 small Cucumber, rinsed I sliced (.20)
1 Celery stalk, rinsed and chopped (.10)
¼ c. Basil leaves (from my garden)
¼ c. Cilantro leaves (from my garden)
1 tbsp. Hot sauce (.10)
Juice of ½ Lime and ½ lemon (.50)
1 tbsp. Rice Vinegar (.10)
3 to 4 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (.40)
Angie’s dry seasoning to-taste (.10)
 
Directions
To prep, follow the directions given under the Ingredients.
In a blender or food processor, process all the ingredients listed above to-taste.
Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving either in a bowl like my photo or in a wine glass with a celery stick, a basil spring and lemon rind. Enjoy!
 
Angie’s Dry Seasonings: http://www.angieslifehacks.com/family-life/oven-roasted-bacon-chicken-and-angies-seasonings
Angie’s Basting Olive Oil:  www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oil

I can hear a lot of people saying “Hey, that’s not how to make Sofrito”.  However, since I have all these herbs in my garden now, I decided to step it up a notch and use them with the AJICITOS, that I finally was successful in planting from seeds and harvest. The end result was amazing and the flavors given to my meals totally worth it! Boom.
 
Category:  HACK-FLAVOR
Approx. Prep and Cook Time:  15 Minutes
Approximate Cost:    $4.40 or .28 cents per disc of flavor.
Difficulty Level:  Easy
Allergens, Other:  Gluten Free   _X_   Vegetarian _X_   
Servings: 16 TO 20
 
Ingredients
Italian oregano leaves to taste, rinsed (.20)
Cuban oregano leaves to taste, rinsed (.30)
Sage leaves to taste, rinsed (.20)
Basil leaves to taste rinsed (.20)
½ bunch flat leave parsley rinsed, pat dry in paper towel and chopped (.60)
15 ajicitos dulces, (sweet small peppers) rinsed, seeded and chopped (1.75)
1 onion, peeled and chopped (.50)
1 garlic head, peeled (.35)
2 to 4 med size green peppers (.30)
1 c. water at room temperature to help the blender (you can use broth as well) (0)
 
Directions
Follow the prep directions listed after each ingredient.
Place all these ingredients in a blender or a food processor.
Add gradually water or (chicken broth, stock) to allow the blender to run smoothly.
Once the mix looks combined and light, pour into muffin pans, about ¾ to the rim and freeze.
Once frozen, remove from pan and place in a Ziploc bag or a container with lid and freeze them again, to use as needed in your cooking’s. You will love the tons of flavor they produce.

I used to purchase Tzatziki Sauce at Costco, but don’t get me wrong, it is good. However, it’s very salty and if I can control how much salt I add to my day worth of food, I’ll be a happy camper. Thank God I do not suffer from any condition and I don’t want to start, smile! Tzatziki is a Greek sauce/dip quite easy to make, with few basic ingredients you can make it at home. You can add it to your salads or sandwiches or pretty much anything you want to add it to, smile.
 
Category:  Sauces-Condiments/Dip
Approx. Prep and Cook Time:   15 Minutes
Approximate Cost:    $3.95 or .66 cents per serving
Difficulty Level:  Easy
Allergens, Other:  Gluten Free   __X__   Vegetarian ___X__     
Servings: Renders approximately 1cup or over 6 servings
 
 
Ingredients
1 c. fat free Greek yogurt, tilt the container, drip the liquid, use the thicker part ($1.25)
2 med. size garlic cloves, peeled and grated (.10)
¾ c. grated cucumber, squeeze, strain to get most of the liquid out (.50)
1 ½ tbsp. of fresh lemon juice (.50)
1 ½ tbsp. of chopped dill, (no stems) ($1.00)
½ tbsp. of my basting olive oil (.50)
¼ tsp. of my dry seasoning (or to-taste) (.10)
 
Directions
Prep the ingredients as I indicated under the Ingredients.
Add the yogurt to a medium size bowl. Then add all the other prep ahead ingredients.
Mix well to combine and refrigerate. It last about a couple of weeks refrigerated. (That is if you don’t eat it all before that time, smile.
Enjoy!
 
Angie’s Dry Seasonings: http://www.angieslifehacks.com/family-life/oven-roasted-bacon-chicken-and-angies-seasonings
Angie’s Basting Olive Oil:  www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oi

Life nowadays is so hectic that gives you no time to do all your daily tasks. Nevertheless, there’s always an easy way to get things done. I bake cakes from scratch all the time, however, I’ll give you a quick way to make a box cake mix that looks and taste amazing in no time. Boom!
 
Category:  Dessert
Approx. Prep and Cook Time:    35 Minutes
Approximate Cost:    $8.75 or .73 cents per cupcake
Difficulty Level:  Easy
Allergens, Other:  Use GF cake box for Gluten Free cupcakes.
Servings: 12 cupcakes
 
Cake Ingredients (This yield about 12+ cupcakes) ($7.10)
3 eggs at room temperature (.60)
1 c. Evaporated milk ($1.00)
½ c. Peanut oil ($1.00)
1 box of French Vanilla Cake ($3.50)
½ c. Chocolate chips (.50)
½ c. Butterscotch chips (.50)
 
Icing Ingredients (this yields about 1 cup) ($1.65)
1 c. Powdered or Confectioner sugar sifted after you measure it not before (.50)
2 to 3 tsp. Evaporated milk (.15)
½ tsp. Vanilla extract ($1.00)
A drop of food coloring of your choice (.0)
 
Directions
For the cake: Just mix all the ingredients together until combined and soft.
Pour into the oil sprayed cupcake mold a bit over half the mark not to the top.
Bake for approx. 12 to 15 minutes depending on your oven.
​
For the Icing: Mix all the icing ingredients until combine and once the cupcakes are at room temperature, drizzle the icing over them. The icing will harden a bit soon, then time to eat them of give them away, smile.

I have been making this dish since I remember. As you know me, I use the ingredients that I have at home and try to be creative. I never make the exact recipe, smile. The important part is that it always tastes good! Today, I used my pressure cooker. Yippee!
 
Category:  Entrée  
Approx. Prep and Cook Time: Under 1 hour (in my pressure cooker)
Approximate Cost:    $14.05 or $2.00 per serving
Difficulty Level:  Easy
Allergens, Other:  Gluten Free    
Servings: 7
 
Ingredients
2 lb. of beef for stew, cleaned of all fat and cut in 1” bite pieces ($6.50)
2 tbsp. Angie’s dry seasoning or the one of your choice (.20)
1 Sazón with Achióte envelope (.20)
3 to 4 Carrots (.30)
2 Celery stalks (.10)
2 large Russet potatoes ($1.40)
1 med size Onion (.40)
6 Garlic cloves, chopped (.20)
2 sofrito frozen cubes (.30)
1 small can tomato sauce (.50)
2 tbsp. capers w brine (.25)
1 c. salad olives, without the liquid/brine (.40)
½ c. good red wine ($1.20)
4 tbsp. Avocado oil (.90)
2 c. brown rice ($1.20)
 
Directions
Clean the meat of all fat, cut in about 1” cubes, season with avocado oil, Angie’s dry seasoning, Sazón with Achiote envelope and refrigerate.
Prep all the following ingredients; carrots, chop the garlic, onion, celery, peel, rinse, and cube the potatoes. And set aside.
In a pressure cooker, or Dutch oven or a medium size cooking pot, over med-high, brown the meat. Remove set aside.
In the same pot add the garlic, onion, celery and cook until transparent.
Then add the potatoes, water to cover (or beef stock), wine, beef, sofrito frozen cubes and a bit more of my seasoning, capers w/ brine, salad olives, without the liquid/brine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to med-low and cook covered for 45 minutes to an hour until the meat is tender. (Again, a faster way to cook it is with a pressure cooker or instant pot following the manufacturer directions.)
After 30 minutes cooking the meat in med-low, carefully, uncover, add the tomato sauce, stir and cover again for 15 or 20 more minutes. Check frequently to ensure the dish is done, potatoes are soft, the gravy has not dried out and the meat is tender. You will know when the meat is tender and also, look and make sure that the sauce is thick and yummy. For more liquefy sauce, add more beef or chicken stock or water to taste.
 
Now what’s left is to check the brown rice that you started earlier, slice an avocado and boom, you are…Done! Enjoy!
  
Angie’s Dry Seasonings: http://www.angieslifehacks.com/family-life/oven-roasted-bacon-chicken-and-angies-seasonings

I love to eat yogurt and smoothies. I also love granola, however, the store purchased granolas come with lots of sugar, preservatives and saturated fats, etc. So, since I never done it before, I Google recipes to find out how difficult it is to make at home. To my surprise, not bad. So, I found a basic recipe and then, change the ingredients to add what I want instead of what they had in the recipe. The result was awesome and YUMMY!
 
Category:  BREAKFAST-SNACK
Approx. Prep and Cook Time: 35 Minutes
Approximate Cost:    $4.00 or .67 cents per serving
Difficulty Level:  Easy
Allergens, Other:  Gluten Free     
Servings: 6+
 
Ingredients
¼ c. Honey (.70)
¼ c. Peanut oil (.30)
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract ($1.00)
 
1 ½ c. Old Fashion Oats (.70)
¼ tsp. Nutmeg (.10)
¼ tsp. Cinnamon (.10)
¼ tsp. Ginger (.10)
1/8 tsp. Salt (0)
2 tbsp. chopped Almonds (.25)
2 tbsp. chopped Raw Walnuts (.25)
2 tbsp. Cranberries (.25)
2 tbsp. Tart Cherries (.25)
 
Directions
Preheat oven at 325 degrees. Place enough parchment paper in a cookie sheet, set aside.
In a med size bowl and using a wooded spoon, whisk together the honey, vanilla extract and peanut oil. Then add the Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Ginger, salt and whisk until all ingredients are fully combined.

Add the oats, the chopped Almonds, chopped Raw Walnuts and combine well. Make sure that all the dry ingredients are totally coated, no dry spot anywhere.

Place the mix over the parchment paper and spread to form an evenly to look like a one thin layer and cover as much as you can the entire sheet pan.

Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven, and stir the whole mixture back to a thin layer. Then bake again for another 10 minutes.

Remove again from oven, add the Cranberries, Tart Cherries, stir for the last time and place back in the oven for not more than 3 minutes, so that the cranberries and cherries stay soft and not gummy hard.(CHECK OUT THE COLOR YOU WOULD LIKE DEPENDING ON YOUR OVEN CALIBRATION.

Remove from oven, stir one last time and allow to cool totally. Then place in an air tight glass container and store in your pantry at room temperature. It will last about a couple of week, if it’s not eaten before, smile!!!!! 

Neshy invited us over for dinner to enjoy family time with the kids before they headed to college. She made this humongous all kinds of veggies salad that impressed me like crazy.

Therefore, I decided to capture it to post in my blog. It was not an easy task though, because she did not want to be photographed. Just like her mama would feel, she was not glamorous for the shots; no nails were done, no make-up on, no fancy attire, jewelry or hairdo to look fabulous and finally, no high heels. Terrible! Well, but I am the mama, so I took the shots anyway, smile.
​
What was in this salad? Well, you name it, it was in there and more. Plus, most of the veggies were from her garden; tomatoes, cucumbers, all color peppers, onions, carrots, well, too many to mention. I just want to make sure that you all know that like her twin sister Suzy, Neshy can cook a storm! Ha, ha, ha. 

The traditional Puerto Rican 3-Leches cake (3-Milks) is amazing. However, I just wanted to use some extra ingredients to make my cake taste like the famous Coquito drink that we all adore. No alcohol in this recipe, so that kids and adults can enjoy it together. BOOM!
 
Category:  Dessert
Approx. Prep and Cook Time:    Under 1 hour
Approximate Cost:    $14.45 or .96 cents per serving
Difficulty Level:  Easy
Allergens, Other:  For Gluten Free Please Use a GF Cake box.    
Servings: Approx. 15 servings
 
Ingredients for the Cake: ($3.55)
1 package yellow cake mix  (or you can bake one from scratch) ($1.35)
3 whole eggs (.60)
1 cup evaporated milk ($1.00)
1 c. peanut or vegetable oil (.60)
 
Ingredients for the Coquito blend to Moist the Cake ($5.50)
1/2 can condensed milk ($2.50)
½ cup Carnation evaporated milk ($1.50)
1/2 cup coconut milk ($1.20)
1 c. coconut cream ($2.20)
1/4 tsp cinnamon (.10)
1/4 tsp. ground ginger (.10)
1/4 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg (.10)
 
Topping ($3.20)
1-pint (16oz.) container heavy whipping cream ($2.50)
3 tbsp. powdered sugar (.10)
½ tsp. vanilla extract (.50)
Top with ground cinnamon and nutmeg (.10)
 
 DIRECTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter a 13 x 9 baking dish or an aluminum foil pan.
In a medium size bowl add cake mix, eggs, milks, oil. Stir until blended and pour into baking dish.
Cook for 25 minutes depending on your oven.
While cake is baking, make the Coquito blend to Moist the Cake.
In a large bowl, add the condensed milk, evaporated milk, coconut milk and coconut cream. Mix together with a whisk then add the cinnamon and nutmeg, and set aside.
When cake is cool, use a fork carefully to poke holes all over the cake.
Pour the Coquito blend/mix evenly on top of cake. Make sure that is super soaked.
Refrigerate cake for 6 hours, or better yet, overnight.
Make the topping by whipping the whipping cream, powder sugar & vanilla.
Cover the cake with it generously, then sprinkle ground cinnamon over the whipping cream.
When serving, garnish with fresh berries on the side or top.

I came home exhausted after a long day doing gardening running few errands and finally, some groceries shopping. Then, that question came up, what will I do for dinner? So, I opened the fridge and saw veggies, some from my garden. Then, I purchased a rotisserie today for dinner tomorrow but decided to use some parts today and came up with this recipe, Rotisserie Stir Fry. Hey, why not? It was heck delicious.
 
Category:  Entrée  
Approx. Prep and Cook Time:    15 Minutes
Approximate Cost:    $4.80 or $2.40 per serving
Difficulty Level:  Easy
Allergens, Other:  Gluten Free    
Servings: 2
 
Ingredients
1 chicken breast, no skin, plus ½ of the thigh, cut lengthwise & thin ($1.00)
½ red bell pepper, chopped) (0 from my garden)
1 yellow sweet pepper, chopped (0 from my garden)
2 celery stalks, rinsed, pat dry, cut in bite size (.15)
½ yellow onion, chopped (.30)
5 garlic cloves, chopped (.15)
1 c. broccoli florets, rinsed and separated from stem (.40)
¼ c. frozen sweet corn (.20)
3 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (.40)
1 tsp. Angie’s dry seasoning (.10)
¼ to ½ c. chicken broth (.35)
1 c. quinoa cook according to the bag directions (.50)
1 avocado. Sliced and peeled ($1.25)
 
Directions
Prep all the ingredients as I indicated above under the ingredients.
Meantime, prepare the quinoa according to the bag directions.
In a skillet with some of my basting olive oil sauté the garlic, then add all the chopped veggies, stir until a bit golden brown and tender. Remove and set aside.
In the same skillet with 1 tbsp. of basting olive oil, brown the chicken.
By now, the quinoa is ready and you just need to plate your meal.
 
Note: I did not use soy sauce because it’s too salty and unhealthy, instead, I used a little chicken broth and Sesame oil.
 
ENJOY!
 
Angie’s Dry Seasonings: http://www.angieslifehacks.com/family-life/oven-roasted-bacon-chicken-and-angies-seasonings
Angie’s Basting Olive Oil:  www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oil

There are so many ways to cook cauliflower. It is a vegetable that doesn’t carry a lot of flavor. Therefore, we need to come up with seasoning combinations other than salt and pepper. I always get inspired by the number of seasonings that I have in my pantry. I use all kinds of crazy combinations, and guess what? They always work, smile.
 
Category:  Vegetable/Side
Approx. Prep and Cook Time: Between prep and roast about 35 Minutes
Approximate Cost:    $3.10 or .52 cent per serving
Difficulty Level:  Easy
Allergens, Other:  Gluten Free   __X__   Vegetarian __X__
Servings: Approx. 6
 
Ingredients
1 cauliflower head, outer leaves, stem removed, (keep florets attached to inside stem) $2.50
1 tsp. Sazón Tropical (in Walmart & Spanish markets) (.10)
¼ c. Angie’s basting olive oil ($1.00)
½ tsp. granulated garlic (.10)
½ tsp. granulated onion (.10)
½ tsp. granulated Turmeric (.10)
½ tsp. ground pepper (.10)
½ tsp. paprika (.10)
OPTIONAL: (You can add the cheese of your choice, I recommend Parmesan)
 
Directions
Prep the cauliflower head as I listed under the ingredients. Remember to keep the florets attached to the inside stem. Set aside.
In a med-size bowl, add all the seasonings that I listed under the Ingredients.
First, pour some of the seasonings oil in the underside of the cauliflower, rub. Then turn the cauliflower back up and pour all the leftover oil seasoning all over and rub to ensure the whole head is seasoned. You will know because the color of the seasoning oil will help you notice if you missed a spot.
Place the seasoned head inside a cooking-oven safe pot or an iron skillet if you have one.
Cover it tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes until the head cooks inside and out.
Then uncover it and cook at a higher temperature, about 400 degrees until it looks golden brown, maybe 15 more minutes. Remember, it all depends on your oven calibration, all ovens are different.
Remove from oven and plate it nicely, then sliced at the table just before serving, (just to show off, smile)
 
Angie’s Basting Olive Oil:  www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oi