Easy Cookies for a Crowd

School events, holidays, potlucks and parties are busy enough without making yourself crazy with complicated baking. This cookie recipe is easy to modify and makes a bunch of small cookies. I usually make three kinds of cookies from one batch. Divide this dough into portions and add different ingredients and you'll have a batch of cookies for any occasion.

Tools: Blender / Vitamix or Food Processor or by hand, Oven, 

Baking Pans: 2 to 4 large cookie sheets - as many as your oven can handle at once

Yield: about 12 dozen
Baking time: 6 - 8 minutes. Assembly time including overall baking time, about 45 - 60 minutes
Oven 400 F (preheat for at least 5 minutes)

• 2 Cups Butter softened
• 1 T. vanilla
• 4 eggs large - beaten
• 1 1/2 C. Sugar - Mexican Moreno sugar, organic "white" sugar or light Brown sugar (or a combination)
• 3 to 3 1/2 Cups flour - unbleached white or add in some whole grain if you prefer, though the texture will change.
• 2 t. cream of tartar
• 1/2 sea salt
  
  Optional ingredients:

1. 1/2 C. colored sugar - roll teaspoon of dough in sugar before setting on baking sheet.
2. 1 C. Chocolate drops - add to dough or insert large drops on top of single cookie
3. 1 C. powdered sugar - when cookies are warm from the oven, put them in a paper bag and gently turn them in the sugar until completely coated. Repeat process again when they are cool if desired.
4. 1 C. dried fruits and nuts - add to dough
5. spices - 2 t. cinnamon, 2 t. ginger, 1/2 cloves for spice cookies. Adjust amounts to taste.
   
   Directions:
   Mix together dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
   
   In a mixing bowl whip butter with sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla and beaten eggs and whip for a few more seconds until everything is mixed. Reduce mixer speed to low and pour the dry mixture in gradually. The dough will stiffen, so you may need to finish mixing by hand. Note that the dough should be just dry enough to roll into little balls. Don't add all of the flour at once. Put in enough to get it to a fluffy, soft texture that is more on the wet side than the dry.
   If you want to make more than one variety of cookie, divide the dough into portions and add the optional ingredients or plan for them depending upon the cookie you want.
   
   Drop by small spoonfuls on greased baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 6 - 8 minutes and remove onto a rack to cool.

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I Love Using My Vitamix! Vitamix is more than just a big blender. It's a powerful tool in the kitchen and a powerful tool for a healthy diet. Vitamix recipes and techniques enable you to eat up to 10 fruits and vegetables along with whole grains that are recommended by experts and you'll love the ease and simplicity of the Vitamix. I use my Vitamix several times a day to make whole food juice, soups from scratch, sauces. smoothies and more. If you're a foodie, you'll love how the Vitamix emulsifies sauces and gravies, grinds grains, purees vegetables & fruits and even mixes a mean margarita or frappuccino! Start your 30-day no-risk in-home trial today and you'll get FREE Standard Ground Shipping when you click this link! https://secure.vitamix.com/redirect.aspx?index.aspx?COUPON=06-003174 OR Call Brenda at Vitamix 1-800-848-2649 x 2305 code 06-003174

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Recipe: Creamsicle Flan

By Cristina Acosta ©2007, 08, 09 Read more of my recipes on my website, www.CristinaAcosta.com

Creamy orange custard with a caramel topping is my variation of the traditional flan. Oranges are one of my favorite fruits and like the citrus flavors of lemon and lime, oranges are great with dense creamy dairy flavors. Read this recipe through before you make it, so you have an idea of what to expect. It's not difficult, it just has some steps that can be intimidating the first time (like making the caramel).
Growing up in Southern California there was always someone we knew who had an orange tree growing in their yard. I remember traveling through Redlands along roads bordering orchards of orange trees in full blossom. The fragrance seemed to brighten every molecule of air. This flan tastes like the scent of orange blossoms early in morning when the air is fresh.

Tools: 1 ½ qt. saucepan. Ramekins – 4 soup (10 oz) size or 8 small (5 oz) dishes; OR a 9" glass or ceramic pie pan; blender / Vitamix or food processor (or by hand with a whisk); stovetop; oven; large pan to hold water bath for ramekins or pie pan.

Time: About 15 minutes to assemble. 25-30 minutes to cook and 4 to 6 hours to cool. (Cool in refrigerator.)

Ingredients:

Caramel:

• 3 T. water
• ¾ cup sugar
• Apx. 1 T of fresh orange zest*
  

Custard:

• 6 eggs
• 1 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup orange juice
• ¼ cup orange juice concentrate (from the frozen cans)
• 1 to 2 heaping T. of orange zest * (You’ll need 2 to 3 oranges to get enough zest for this recipe.)
  

Directions:
Caramel:

1. Sprinkle orange zest on the bottom of each ramekin
2. Combine sugar and water in saucepan.
3. Over medium-high heat cook mixture, swirling occasionally until mixture is a clear, light to medium amber color.

Tips to Make Caramel:

• Don’t stir it. When I stir it I more easily burn the mixture.
• The mixture will go through stages of being foamy, then crusty. Keep swirling pan. (Swirl – Pick up pan off the stove and gently swirl mixture side to side and in circles)
• When the sugar mixture flattens down and becomes clear amber immediately pour into the ramekins. Swirl the mixture around the bottom and ½ way up the sides of the dishes.
• Set aside to cool.
  

Preheat oven to 350. Put in a large pan for the water bath. Start a pot of water boiling that will fill the pan with enough water so that when you set the ramekins in the pan the water is ½ way up the sides of the ramekin.


Custard: (I use a blender, adjust these directions for your tool of choice)

1. Crack eggs into blender and turn on low to mix well (15-30 seconds). Don’t get them frothy.
2. Add all other ingredients. Mix till well blended, but not foamy.
3. Pour into the caramel coated ramekins and put them in the water-filled baking pan.
   

Bake for 25-30 minutes. With smaller size ramekins cook for lesser time. Note: custard will appear loose in the center when the time is up. Don't worry it will be solid by the time the dessert is completely chilled. Don't overcook or the final result will be rubbery.
Remove from oven and cool for 4 to 6 (or more) hours.


To un-mold the dessert:

1. Set chilled ramikens in a shallow dish of warm water for a few minutes. The idea is to have the warmth of the water re-liquefy the caramel. Loosen the edge of the flan with a knife and flip the flan onto a dessert plate. Pour the caramel on top.
2. Return the ramiken to warm water to re-liquefy as much of the topping as you can and pour over the flan.
   

Serve alone or with Hot Chocolate Cookies for a delicious contrast in flavors.

*Note: Fresh orange zest is essential to the flavor of this flan. If you don’t have a zest tool, use a cheese grater on the small-hole side. Be very careful to only get the orange part of the peel. The white part is bitter and will ruin your flan.

I Love Using My Vitamix! Vitamix is more than just a big blender. It's a powerful tool in the kitchen and a powerful tool for a healthy diet. Vitamix recipes and techniques enable you to eat up to 10 fruits and vegetables along with whole grains that are recommended by experts and you'll love the ease and simplicity of the Vitamix. I use my Vitamix several times a day to make whole food juice, soups from scratch, sauces. smoothies and more. If you're a foodie, you'll love how the Vitamix emulsifies sauces and gravies, grinds grains, purees vegetables & fruits and even mixes a mean margarita or frappuccino! Read more about why I recommend buying a Vitamix. Start your 30-day no-risk in-home trial today and you'll get FREE Standard Ground Shipping when you click this link! https://secure.vitamix.com/redirect.aspx?index.aspx?COUPON=06-003174 OR Call Brenda at Vitamix 1-800-848-2649 x 2305 code 06-003174

Choosing Paint Colors Home Decor Licensing Who is Cristina Press Philanthropy Hand Painted Ceramics

Two Top Health Foods are Southwest Favorites. Try My Mexican Slaw

The New York Times ran a piece titled, "The 11 Best Foods You Aren't Eating" by Tara Parker-Pope. The author details nutrition lists from noted nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden who wrote The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth.

Cabbage and pumpkin seeds are 2 of the foods making the list of the "11 Best. . . " If your thoughts of cabbage stop at coleslaw, I have a recipe you'll love if Mexican food is a favorite. Not only is my Southwest Slaw nutritious, it tastes wonderful and it's beautiful! Serve it as a side dish or salad, or put it on tacos and tostadas (my favorite!) or even hamburgers. Be sure to stop by my website and try some of my other recipes.

Southwest Slaw

Time: About 15 minutes
Tools: knives & whisk or fork, salad bowl, (optional) Food Processor or blender such as Vitamix
Yield: 1/2 Cup per serving. Approx. 6 servings Yield depends on how much you put in the bowl.

Dressing Ingredients & Instructions:

• 1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 crushed fresh garlic clove
• fresh squeezed juice of 2 limes
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  

Mix ingredients in the Blender or Vitamix on medium, increasing to high for apx. 20 - 30 seconds. Or, mix by hand with a whisk or fork. Pour into salad bowl.

Salad Ingredients & Instructions: (Salad amounts are very approximate)

• 1/2 head (or more) of red cabbage (or mix red and green cabbage), chopped for slaw.
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup or so of chopped green onion or finely chopped white or yellow onion.
• 1 to 4 fresh serrano or jalepeno peppers finely chopped. Use fresh mild anaheim chilis if you don't want much heat.
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup roasted and salted pumpkin seeds
• Optional: 1 ripe avocado (another food on the list), peeled and chopped

With a knife or using your food processor or Vitamix, chop the cabbage, cilantro, onion and peppers until they are the size you want for your salad (smaller pieces, like a chop-salad are best).

If you use a Vitamix, put the variable speed on 4 and after twice quartering the cabbage, drop it in chunks of 2 into the machine. Scrape out the chopped vegetables before adding more. Chop the cilantro into 1 or 2 inch pieces before adding to the Vitamix so that the stems won't wrap up.

Put the chopped vegetables into the salad bowl and toss with the dressing. Add avocados (optional) and sprinkle with Pumpkin seeds. Serve immediately. ¡Que rica!


For more of my recipes see my website.

Breakfast Scone Recipe

Are you home for the holidays or ready for a leisurely breakfast? Try making my scone master recipe. Scones are quick to make for a special morning breakfast. These scones are beautiful to look at, they taste wonderful and the scent of baking scones filling the house is enough to get most anybody to the breakfast table.

If you want to make dairy free scones, substitute non-hydrogenated shortening or lard for the butter and plain or vanilla soy milk (or other type of milk) for the cow milk. You can alter the ingredients to make a variety of scones.

Some of my favorite scone variations are: Cherry Pecan (with dried tart cherries), Wild Blueberry, Cranberry Orange Scones (orange zest & dried cranberries), Lemon Poppyseed (with lemon zest), Chocolate Orange Nut (with orange zest, chocolate drops & nuts). Experiment and have fun with this recipe.

Time: 10 - 15 minutes to prepare, 15 minutes to bake Yield: About 8 - 10 scones (depending on how you cut the dough)
Tools: Hand held pastry cutter, OR a food processor OR 2 dinner forks
standard size flat baking pan (one that fits in your oven), oven, spatula, 2 bowls. Optional: Vitamix

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour (I use unbleached white mostly, sometimes I'll substitute 1/2 cup of whole grain flour -- more than 1/2 cup makes for a very heavy scone)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 cup brown or white sugar
• 1/2 sea salt
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• OPTIONAL:
  
• • 1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries (wild are best as they are small)
    
  • 1/2 cup dried fruits such as: raisins, chopped apricots, pitted cherries, sweetened cranberries, etc.
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts such as: pecans, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 teaspoon (more or less to taste) of spice such as: cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, coriander, ginger
  • 2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh orange or lemon peel zest (don't scrape off the white part of the rind as it will be bitter).

Optional Topping: Mix 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 1 Tablespoon of liquid to make a glaze. Suggested liquids are: espresso, orange juice, fruit / chocolate / or maple syrup, milk, water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Spray a baking pan with release or grease it with butter/shortening.
3. In a Vitamix or by hand using a fork and a bowl: beat together until frothy - eggs, milk
4. In a large dry bowl mix together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, sugar, sea salt.
5. Using a pastry cutter, food processor or 2 dinner forks, cut the butter into the dry mix until the mix resembles coarse meal and there aren't any chunks of butter much larger than 1 grain of rice.
6. Add any fruits, nuts and/or spices to this mix.

Then. . . .

1. All at once add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir just until the dry mix is saturated. Don't over mix or the scones won't rise.
2. Dust a little flour onto a clean counter and after flouring your hands, pour the batter on to the counter (it should be almost like a very wet biscuit dough).
3. Sprinkle a little flour on the dough and knead it for about 5 - 10 strokes. To knead the dough, pat it down til it's easy to grab the far edge. Bring that edge over the front edge of the dough (by your belly) and make push it together hard with both hands. Do this a few more times, turning it until the dough is easy to pat into a shape.(Sprinkle on more flour if dough is too sticky).
   
4. Pat dough into a circle about 1" thick.
5. Just like you'd cut a pie, cut the dough into wedges.
6. Transfer the dough to the pan (with a pancake spatula) and spread them on the baking pan at least 1/2" apart so they won't grow into each other as they cook.

Bake the scones at 425 until browned. About 15 minutes.

Pour glaze on when the scones are cool enough to eat. (optional)

Fall Harvest Chili Peppers

With National Hispanic month behind us and Dia de los Muertos (the Mexican holiday, Day of the Dead) ahead of us, it's time to talk about the autumn tradition of drying and roasting chili peppers. In New Mexico, especially in communities around Santa Fe and Taos the centuries old Hispanic traditions of drying and roasting chili peppers is alive and well.

Even if you haven't developed a taste for authentic Hatch chilis, there are many wonderful dried chilis available in both mainstream and Mexican markets. Whenever I visit Santa Fe, New Mexico I always go to Jackalope on Cerillos Road for the best buy for chili ristras and wreaths and then to the Whole Foods grocery store for a visit to their bulk department where I fill up with enough dried green chilies to last the year.

I make Red Chili Sauce most every week and eat it in a variety of dishes. One of my most favorite things to make with my red sauce is a New Mexican dish called Carne Adovado. It's a beef pot roast cooked for hours in chili sauce until it falls into strings of deliciousness. If you want to try an entire New Mexican/Californian/ inspired dinner, try my Dinner Menu. It's easy to fit into a scheduled day when cooking isn't at the top of your list.

Note: My oil painting, Red Mesa is filled with the red tones of dried chilies. The original oil painting is 48" x 48" on canvas and is $4,800.00 framed.

Ask Cristina: Baking Artisan Breads

Hi Cristina, (via my website www.CristinaAcosta.com)
I read your article on artisan breads using a natural yeast starter. I have made breads for a long time using the Active Dry yeast and I am trying to make a starter, but it seems to die every couple weeks. I use the Fleischmann's Active Dry to make the starter and it seems to be okay for the first 3 or 4 times I bake. Near the end it starts to leaven sluggishly. By the 5th or 6th loaf, it doesn't leaven at all. What I do is I have about 2 cups of it total in the fridge. When I want to use it I take it out of the fridge and leave it for ~12 hours. I use 1 cup in my bread and I save 1 cup to continue the starter. I add 3/4 c distilled water + 3/4 c flour to the starter and shake it and loosely cover it. 4 hours later, I put it back in the fridge. Then I leave it for a week, until the next weekend. Is there something that is wrong w/ my methods? Your starter looks so successful; I don't know what is going on.
Thanks, Gillian

Hi Gillian,

I think the problem stems from your sourdough starter being created predominantly with a hybrid commercial yeast. For example, in nature (without the intervention of humankind) I've never seen a forest of all one kind of tree. The healthy forest of centuries old contains a variety of plants and animals that live harmoniously (or more specifically, symbiotically) together. Your commercial starter is in a sense, a Christmas tree farm compared to the old growth forest of a natural starter often referred to as Sourdough or Pain Levain.

Here's a line from Wikipedia that gives a little insight into your challenge. The text within parenthesis is mine. "The flour-water mixture can also be inoculated from a previously maintained culture. (A natural sourdough or levain culture that you buy or get from a baker.) The culture is stable due to its ability to prevent colonization by other yeasts and bacteria as a result of its acidity and other anti-bacterial agents. As a result, many sourdough bread varieties tend to be relatively resistant to spoilage and mold.

Because you begun with a commercial starter it does not include a natural relationship between a yeast and lactobacillus thus, it does not have the resilience and stability of a natural yeast starter. Since you're obviously excited about the process of making artisan bread, either find a home baker willing to give you some starter, or buy sourdough starter from King Arthur Flour company or other type of reputable baking supply company.

It's a simple process to rejuvenate the starter and then to make the bread, though by the length of the artisan sourdough bread recipe on my website, it looks a lot more complicated! I had to make a detailed yeast bread recipe that explained the concepts behind the choices of ingredients and techniques. Artisan natural yeast bread baking is actually far more simple than it is presented to be. Think about it, for centuries most bread was made by a village specialist or by the homemaker. These people did not usually have the resources to use high-tech measurements and temperature readings, and most people were illiterate then. They told time by the sun and had few dishes, yet the bread could be masterful.

A book I've enjoyed about the history of sourdough is World Sourdough's From Antiquity, by Ed Wood details his story as a botanist who did a project for National Geographic where he investigated the natural yeast baking process that the Egyptians used to feed the workers who built the pyramids.

So . . . have fun with a natural yeast bread starter and let me know how it's working. Send me a photo of you with your bread loaves.
Read more about my ideas for varying your bread recipe including making Chocolate Bread and more. Check out my list of recipes for everything from my favorite Key Lime Squares to the perfect mexican salsa recipes on my website.

www.CristinaAcosta.com

The Frugal Creative: How to Make Mint Tea, Dry Mint on a Window Screen

What plant tolerates drought, loves water, is generally deer and rabbit proof, and grows most places without much effort, AND you can eat it? Mint! And, even better, mint plants are available in varieties including chocolate mint, peppermint and spearmint (among the 2 dozen or so varieties of mint, many of which are available as seed or plants in most plant nurseries). Save money and ask a gardener for a few stalks and you can grow mint from a cutting by rooting it in water for a few weeks.

For the frugal creative person with a lavish streak, making your own tea and better yet, giving it away as gifts will save you . . . a mint! (Sorry, couldn't resist the pun!)

So grow some mint and you'll soon have an abundant harvest that will make you feel lavish. Make tea, mix the mint into food or scent a bathtub. Mint is easy to dry. Though I do have a food dehydrator, I live in a dry climate so I usually dry the mint outside. Here are some photos from my garden that will show you what to expect when drying mint.

Here's how to dry mint at home using window screens:

• Hose the mint down (while it's in the ground) to be sure it's clean. Let it dry.
• Clip the plant stalks at the bottom -- a few inches from the ground.
• Spread the stalks across a clean window screen propped across 2 chairs.
• Turn the mint during the day.
• Don't let the mint get rained on or otherwise wet.
• When dry, run your hand down the stalk from the tip to remove dry leaves. Discard stems.
  
• Save the leaves on a platter and let them dry again for at least the day. Put mint leaves in baggies or glass jars and store in a dark, cool cupboard.

Dry mint will be crackly and easily crush to powder under your fingers.

Uses for fresh or dried mint: The strength of flavor varies between varieties, so I did not include amounts. Taste as you add mint to your food.

• Tea, potatoes, lamb, carrots, yogurt, ice cream, chocolate, oranges and other citrus fruits, salsa, vegetables.
• If you love the flavor of fresh mint during the off-season, chop it and freeze it into ice cubes. As it thaws it will subtly flavor the beverage while looking gorgeous. You can also add the mint ice cubes to vegetable water (great with peas) or soups.
  
• Bury a few fresh mint stalks in a couple cups of white sugar for a few days to flavor the sugar. Remove the mint so it won't decay.

Save more money and follow my recipe to make your own bath scrub using mint. Try this and other recipes on my website.

www.CristinaAcosta.com

Hot Summer Day Recipe: Sangria Sonrisa

The Spanish word sonrisa means smile. And you'll get plenty of smiles when you serve this Sangria at your next get-together. The perfect fiesta drink, this recipe is easy to put together and flexible. Start with an inexpensive red or white wine, add plenty of fruit and some bubbly and you are done. This recipe is light, fruity, and not too sweet.
Serve the Sangria in a clear glass pitcher and ladle some of the fruits into the glasses along with the liquid. It's easy to refresh -- just add another bottle of wine along with a bottle of ginger ale and you're good to go for a second batch.
Serves 4 to 6

Tools: Sharp knife, food slicer (optional), pitcher

Ingredients:

• One 750 ml bottle of red or white wine
• One 12 oz. bottle of quality Ginger ale. I use brands with real ginger and sugar instead of corn syrup.
• 1 cup thinly sliced strawberries
  

Note: wash the outside of the citrus fruit and slice with the skin on.

• 1 medium/large orange, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 medium/large lemon, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 lime, halved and thinly sliced
• One 20 oz. can of pineapple chunks in their own juice.
• approx. 1-2 cups ice
  

Mix:
All ingredients together and serve. You can make this ahead an hour or more, so that the flavors can meld, but it’s not necessary.

Note: Red wine will dye the fruits after it sits for an hour or more, so they will not be quite as pretty when served. If that bothers you, put it in an opaque pitcher. White wine maintains the color of the fruits.

For a spicy option: Slice a fresh jalapeño pepper in half lengthwise and mix with the fruits. The longer the mixture sits, the more picante (hot and spicy) the Sangria will become. (Be Careful!)

Fruit options: Also include watermelon and peaches. I don't think apples go well with wine. Experiment with other fruits.

Try some more of my recipes

Read more about my Hispanic heritage.

www.CristinaAcosta.com

Recipe: Traditional New Mexican Red Chili Sauce

Made from Pureed Dried Red Chilis
Cristina Acosta ©2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

My grandmother (abuelita) Catalina Maria Ortiz Acosta's parents were born in New Mexico. She made chili sauce in the New Mexican style, a sauce of mostly puréed, dried chilies with spices. This sauce is the backbone of many Hispanic dishes.

Catalina was an artist who believed that anything worth knowing came at a price, and this sauce was her specialty. She was in her seventies before she would give me this recipe. In exchange for the recipe she insisted I wash every downstairs window of her house. While I scrubbed and polished, she sat in the backyard patio of her home in Playa del Rey, California, by the sea near Los Angeles threading a ristra of chilies from a new box of chili peppers that had arrived from New Mexico. After finishing a few windows I’d stop to visit with her and she’d tell me a little bit more about her recipe. It was certainly worth the effort.

If the sauce is too picante (hot), you can cut the heat by adding a can of stewed tomatoes or a thick tomato sauce to the blender. This suggestion would have been frowned upon by my abuelita who insisted that a proper chili sauce never included tomatoes. Nonetheless, if the mildest chilies are too hot for your taste, this method works.

My abuelita’s original recipe used to take hours when prepared with a food mill. I’ve adjusted the chili sauce recipe for quick and easy preparation. Use a powerful blender such as a Vita-Mix for best results.

Cristina's Traditional Red Chili Sauce

Tools: 1 ½ qt. or larger saucepan with lid. Powerful blender. Stove top.
Yield: Aprox. 3 ½ – 4 cups of sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 t. to 1 T. ground cumin

• 1 T. dark cocoa powder (unsweetened)

• ½ t. sea salt

• 2 cloves garlic, peeled

• ½ large onion (aprox. ½ cup) peeled. (use your favorite flavor of onion)

• 3 oz net wt. package of dried chilies: Use Chili California OR New Mexican OR Pasilla OR experiment with mixing varieties.

• 3 cups water or broth.
  

Directions:

1. With scissors cut off the tops of the dried red chilies and pour out the seeds. (Don’t worry about getting them all out.)
2. Rinse the dried chilies briefly to dust them off.
3. Put them in the sauce pan with the water, garlic and onion.
4. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
5. In the blender put the cumin, salt and cocoa powder. Add the hot chili mixture including the water. Put the lid on the blender and slowly “step-up” the speed of the blender from low to high. (Never start a hot mixture on high as it may explode out of the top of the blender.) Process the mixture on high for approx. 3 minutes or until very smooth.

This versatile sauce is ready to serve. It freezes beautifully. Use it over tamale pie, as an enchilada sauce, base for chili soups or over fried eggs and omelets. It's the key ingredient to Carne Adovada, a traditional New Mexican pot roast slow cooked in the red chili sauce.

Experiment with the sauce by adding ingredients such as: wine, dried fruits such as raisins, apricots, plums, ground toasted nuts or seeds (about ½ cup) , sweet chocolate and cinnamon.

Note: for a thicker sauce, add a few more chilies or decrease water a little.

Happy Cooking -- Cristina

I Love Using My Vitamix! Vitamix is more than just a big blender. It's a powerful tool in the kitchen and a powerful tool for a healthy diet. Vitamix recipes and techniques enable you to eat up to 10 fruits and vegetables along with whole grains that are recommended by experts and you'll love the ease and simplicity of the Vitamix. I use my Vitamix several times a day to make whole food juice, soups from scratch, sauces. smoothies and more. If you're a foodie, you'll love how the Vitamix emulsifies sauces and gravies, grinds grains, purees vegetables & fruits and even mixes a mean margarita or frappuccino! Read more about why I recommend buying a Vitamix. Start your 30-day no-risk in-home trial today and you'll get FREE Standard Ground Shipping when you click this link! https://secure.vitamix.com/redirect.aspx?index.aspx?COUPON=06-003174 OR Call Brenda at Vitamix 1-800-848-2649 x 2305 code 06-003174

Recipe: Key Lime Custard Squares

I love to cook for my family and friends! Initially I was inspired by my grandmother's artistry with a variety of ingredients and my mother's love of experimentation when she baked. As the oldest child of seven children, I did quite a bit of cooking for the family. Encouraged by my success (if my teenage brothers didn't eat it, the dogs would), I was continually trying new recipes. Now, I'm married to a lovely man who eats most anything I make, and encourages me to cook every day (Hmm... what's up with the everyday thing?). He loves food and has an adventurous palette. (And he often does the dishes!) With his encouragement I'm continually trying new things.

Key Lime Squares
Cristina Acosta ©2007, 2008

Put one bite of this sweet/tart desert in your mouth and you'll be able to see the long, flat horizon of blue-green ocean layered under the green topped islands of the Florida Keys. Not really. But it is a nice fantasy. Nonetheless, these easy-to-make squares will give you plenty of time to make plans for your next tropical vacation. The shortcake cookie base enriched with nuts supports the creamy tart key lime custard filling. Dress these up with a lime twist and a pretty plate for a dinner party or take them as is to a picnic and eat them with your fingers. Aloha! And recorridos felices! (Happy Travels)

Note: Click here to purchase this painting , The Pastry Chef, from the High Desert Gallery in Sisters, Oregon

Tools: Blender / Vitamix or Food Processor or by hand, oven

Baking Pan: 8” x 8” x 2”
Yield: 6 to 16 pieces, depending on size cut.

Time: Baking time, 30 minutes. Assembly time 15-20 minutes

Base and Topping

• 1/3 Cup real butter, chilled
• ½ finely chopped nuts or ground nut meal. (pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts or almonds)
• 1/3 C. dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 Cup white flour

Filling

• ½ cup 100% unsweetened key lime juice, OR organic 100% lime juice, not from concentrate.
  
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 3 egg yolks

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Butter sides and bottom of pan

1. Combine all dry ingredients

1. With a blender, food processor or by hand, cut the butter into the dry mixture until the butter is in very small pieces and the mixture has a crumb like appearance.
2. Reserve ½ cup of the mixture for topping.
3. Firmly press the remaining mixture into the bottom of the pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes
   

2. While the base is cooking, mix custard filling:

1. Mix the filling ingredients into a blender on low until the mixture is silky and well blended. (Don’t let the mixture get foamy.)
2. Pour it onto the cooked base.
3. Sprinkle the topping evenly across the filling.
4. Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
   

Serve the Key Lime Custard Squares at room temperature or chilled. Cut into servings after it has cooled. Refrigerate for ease of cutting into small squares or to transport (makes the dessert firmer).

I Love Using My Vitamix! Vitamix is more than just a big blender. It's a powerful tool in the kitchen and a powerful tool for a healthy diet. Vitamix recipes and techniques enable you to eat up to 10 fruits and vegetables along with whole grains that are recommended by experts and you'll love the ease and simplicity of the Vitamix. I use my Vitamix several times a day to make whole food juice, soups from scratch, sauces. smoothies and more. If you're a foodie, you'll love how the Vitamix emulsifies sauces and gravies, grinds grains, purees vegetables & fruits and even mixes a mean margarita or frappuccino! Read more about why I recommend buying a Vitamix. Start your 30-day no-risk in-home trial today and you'll get FREE Standard Ground Shipping when you click this link! https://secure.vitamix.com/redirect.aspx?index.aspx?COUPON=06-003174 OR Call Brenda at Vitamix 1-800-848-2649 x 2305 code 06-003174

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Cooking with Cristina

How To Cook Your Life - Bread and the Creative Life

Reading has always been one of my loves. Surprising to me is that the list of good books I think have been the most important in my life, changes over time. Not only because a new book has usurped an old favorite, but because a book I read many years ago and may not have thought of as life-changing or "good" (in the Great American novel sort of way), gets on the list. With the perspective of time, my understanding of a book changes and I realize the important positive impact of that particular book.

The Tassajara Bread Book (pub. in 1970) is this kind of book. When we were young teenagers my sister, Alisa Acosta, and I taught ourselves how to bake from this book. Alisa focused on popovers and other such things. I delved into bread making. Edward Espe Brown's detailed, concise directions coupled with his intellectual and spiritual generosity resulted in a book that touched so many people that it became a international bestseller.

I long ago lost my copy of that cookbook and had mostly forgotten about it in a everyday way until I saw the Indie film, How To Cook Your Life, with zen chef Edward Espe Brown, author of The Tassajara Bread Book and other books. Ed Brown (that's how he was introduced) made a guest appearance last night (April 1, 2008) at the Tower Theater in Bend, Oregon. The film, How To Cook Your Life, was shown as part of the Bend Film Festival Indie Reels screenings.

Ed Brown introduced the film, then when it was over, he answered questions from the audience and told stories. His sense of humor coupled with his wisdom had us laughing and enlightened within minutes. He was a lot of fun. I had hoped to thank him for his work in person, but the receiving line was more than I was willing to wade through.

The Tassajara Bread Book inspired and opened me to my love of cooking, and by extension life. Creating food with my hands puts me in touch with the land and elements that combine to create that food. A loaf of live dough ready for the oven embodies the cycle of life. Edward Espe Brown's writings planted the seeds of spirituality, environmental sensitivity, and a life-long love of food. His cookbook is not only a artistic inspiration, it is a political inspiration. The Tassajara Bread Book gently put me on a path that made the connection between the spiritual and practical accessible.

I highly recommend watching How to Cook Your Life. It will be available on Netflicks in May 2008.

Edward Espe Brown's writing inspired my artisan bread baking hobby. I now focus on a natural yeast starter that absorbs the life in the air around us. Read my artisan bread recipe on my website.

Thanks Judy Shasek for inviting me to see this movie. Judy is a creative powerhouse. Among her projects is Generation Fit, an innovative learning/wellness outreach program for kids.

Note: Photo of Edward Espe Brown is from the PeacefulSeaSangha.com site. More info is also available on the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center page.

www.CristinaAcosta.com

March 2008 Newsletter from my Website

Dear Friends,

The days are getting longer and it's almost time for the Vernal Equinox. More sunshine is on its way! To get through the rest of winter I recommend more chocolate! I visited Oaxaca, Mexico last month and along with enjoying the wonderful arts, crafts and ancient pyramids, I discovered a recipe for you, Chocolate with Water (Chocolate con Agua). Oaxaca is renowned for chocolate, and much of it is consumed as a beverage.

Along with traveling, I am fortunate to be able to share my art with the staff and patients at St. Charles Hospital in Bend, Oregon, through March & April. My art exhibit at St. Charles Hospital is of mostly my large-scale oil paintings from my Animal Spirit series. Deer, coyote, raccoon, raptors, other birds and animals visit my garden year round (despite living close to town). I long ago gave up typical gardening so that I could support the wildlife with feeders and water features to make up for the diminished forage they have since development in the area took off. I photograph and draw the animals before painting, only creating paintings of animals I’ve actually encountered.

On the wall near the hospital chapel hang 4 of my Madonnas. One of those paintings, Guadalupe with Tear is also featured in The Business Journal of Hispanic Research, a bi-annual publication of the National Society of Hispanic MBAs. The periodical supports credible, peer reviewed research on Hispanics. They are changing the business environment for the better!

The change of seasons always inspires some people to paint their house. A journalist recently interviewed me for a national article about home exterior paint colors. If you’re feeling ready for a color change, I have a few choosing paint color tips on my website.

Live Happy,

Cristina

Subscribe to Cristina's Newsletter for once a month news.

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Feb. 2008 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Happy Valentines Day! This is the month we honor love. Like most everybody, I've spent a few bummer Valentines Days over the years. Love I learned is a practice. So is art, prayer, parenting, exercise, eating and most anything else that you participate in with your heart and soul. It all becomes a spiritual practice, and each of us brings our unique presence in the practice of our lives to the world. Lavishing beauty on the world is my way of dealing with the negative news that streams from all around the world into my TV set, computer and radio.

Sharing beauty motivates me to begin blogging. I've discovered that I enjoy the artistic discipline of blogging. Writing, like painting is both a craft and art. Searching for things to write about is similar to beginning a painting. I sit quietly with my tools at hand, shut my eyes briefly to signal my mind that I'm entering my place of creative flow and begin.

Sometimes that place leads me to history. As a life-long artist, I've done a lot of different types of art jobs to stay housed and fed. For a couple of years I was a billboard painter. Now that it's a lost art, I wrote the essay, Painting Big - My Life as a Billboard Painter, about my history painting the 24' long outdoor ad murals.

All of this writing hasn't left much free time. I invented Santa Fe Chicken Rice for those days that I don't have much motivation in the kitchen. When you're not cooking or otherwise creating, remember to sign up for my blog. Send me your creative comments and questions and I'll answer them on the blog. Whether you're wondering what color to paint a wall, how to teach someone (yourself!) to draw, make a killer cookie or talk about art, I'd love to hear from you.

Live Happy,

Cristina

Subscribe to Cristina's Newsletter for once a month news, or get more on her Blog.

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Creative Chili Cookies

Kathy Southwick sent me this picture of her version of my Hot Chocolate Cookies. In my recipe I describe these chocolate and chili pepper cookies as thin. Along with the picture, Kathy shared that though she originally shaped the cookies the way the recipe described, she tried rolling dough balls in granulated sugar, resulting in a rounded thick cookie with a sparkly finish. She assured me, "These are great! One bite and I'm ready to party!" She suggested that serving them with margaritas is even better.

Not only are her cookies great (and yes, they do taste good with margaritas) -- even better is her creativity and confidence in the outcome. I like her idea so much I added Kathy's suggestion to the original recipe. I love it when I know that I've inspired someone to have fun and be creative.

See more of my original recipes on the recipe page of my web site.

January Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year! The rush and fun of the winter holiday season is behind us and I'm tired of cooking and eating! On that note, my gift to you is a recipe for Brown Sugar Beauty Scrub. Stir fresh mint and orange zest together with simple ingredients and you are in for a calorie-free treat that will leave you refreshed and ready to act on your inspirations.

The New Year is also a time for resolutions. Team inspiration with imagination to discover and create resolutions that have power and meaning for you. When I make resolutions and plans I like to think about what has positively inspired me. Sometimes inspirations are famous people or events. At other times inspiration is closer to home.

Close to my home and heart is my sister, Alisa Acosta. She recently celebrated her 5 year anniversary after undergoing treatment for cancer. Her dedication to all aspects of good health in the ensuing years inspires everyone who knows her. In the tradition of the Ex-Voto, I painted a Madonna titled La Sirena Verde/The Green Mermaid to celebrate her life and gave it to her during the Christmas holiday. Thank you Alisa for all that you are!

A resolution needs a plan, and a plan involves a practice. Whether that practice is spiritual, physical or fiscal depends upon your resolution. As an artist I've learned that when I consciously practice a creative act, my attitude (and my day!) is often better. I don't have to pick up a paint brush or write an article to be creative. Some days, it's not practical. My practice it to pay attention to beauty in all forms. It's a practice that keeps me connected to myself and the world around me. Those connections are the waters in the well that feed my inspiration.

Though it's about creating a plan for a home project, I want to share with you an article I wrote, Plan for Success. The principles are basic to any successful plan. I'd love to hear from you and learn about your inspirations.

Live Happy,

Cristina