Quick and Simple Royal Icing

Makes 2 1/3 cups

-1 box confectioners' sugar (1 pound)

-5 tablespoons meringue powder, or 2 large egg whites

- 1/2 cup of water

Directions

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugar and meringue powder or 2 egg whites. Mixing on low speed, slowly add a 1/2 cup water (if adding egg whites, add less water). For a thinner consistency, usually used for flooding, add more water. A thicker consistency is generally used for outlining and adding details. Mix until icing holds a ribbonlike trail on the surface of the mixture for 5 seconds when you raise the paddle.

Halloween and Fall Chocolate Covered Cookies

Putting these cookies together is not difficult at all.

You'll need:

-Le Chocolatier Cookies- By LUbiscuits (French Biscuits with Milk Chocolate covering)

-Petite Ecolier Cookies- By LUbiscuits (French Biscuits with Extra Dark Chocolate covering)

-Ready made Royal Icing. You can find this in the stores mentioned below. Or to make your own click here

- 1 regular art brush for dipping into the royal icing

Note: You can find these in the cookie aisle of your supermarket. I mail order mine but Super Stop and Shop and major supermarkets do carry them. The cookies can also be substituted by Pepperidge Farms Pirouettes and any chocolate covered wafer cookies.

You will also need edible holiday sugar candies. You can find edible candies at your local chocolate confection stores, Michaels, or AC Moore.

To assemble the cookies:

Prepare your royal icing. Line all of your cookies on a flat surface and decide where you would like to place the edible sugar art. Take a brush and dip it into the royal icing and place a dab on the back of the edible sugar piece. Affix the sugar piece to the cookie or wafer and let them sit for about an hour until the royal icing sets and the sugar piece is set onto the cookie.

Moro de Habichuela Negra- Black beans and Rice

For more recipes visit www.gardeningchicinthecity.com

This has to be my favorite rice dish of all. I don't know if its the nutty black bean flavor that I love or if its the memories of holidays and gatherings where this rice always took center stage. Whichever it is, this moro is delicious! Enjoy.

Ingredients

3 Cups of Rice
2 and 1/2 cups of Black Beans-Soaked overnig ht and then boiled until really soft. You can also use canned Black Beans
3 cups of hot water
2 Garlic Cloves- Minced
3 Tbsp. of Garlic- Chopped fine
1 Chicken Bouillon cube
1/2 of a large onion
3 Tbsp of Alcaparrado- Olive Salad
Black Pepper- to taste
Salt- a few pinches to taste
Canola Oil- to coat bottom of pan
Goya Olive Oil- to drizzle over rice once ready to serve

Preparation

Add canola oil to bottom of a heavy pan and heat oil on Medium to medium high heat. Once the oil is heated add garlic, onions, chicken bouillon cube, olive salad, salt or adobo and pepper. Saute until the garlic and onion are tender.

Once garlic and onion are tender, add the black beans and saute all together for about 5-6 minutes until the mixture begins to bubble. At this stage taste the black bean mixture because this will be the point at which you can adjust your seasoning. If you feel the mix needs more salt or adobo add it. Keep in mind that this level of salt will be diluted with water later on, so its ok to over season if you feel the need.

Once the seasoning is adjusted, add the rice and combine with the bean mixture. Stir together until rice and beans are well incorporated and then add the hot water to the rice and beans and stir. The water should be about 1 inch above the rice mixture. Bring to a simmer until the water meets the level of the rice.

Once the water and the rice meet, stir the whole mixture once and then cover the pot, lower the heat to low and DO NOT OPEN THE POT OR STIR until 20 minutes elapse.

If you do wait the 20 minutes, your reward is gorgeous, fluffy and delicious rice. Once ready to serve, drizzle some Olive oil over the rice for a a nice finish.

Empanadas Colombianas- Colombian Empanadas

I have to say that of all the Empanadas this one is my favorite!! It is delicious, simple to make and can be stuffed with anything but the favorites seem to be shredded chicken and also cheese. Try this Empanada and I promise you, you will fall in love!

Recipe from www.gardeningchicinthecity.com/cookingrecipes.htm

Ingredients

5 Cups- Extra Fine Corn Meal- I use corn meal made by Goya

6 Cups- of hot water

2 1/2 Tbsp of salt

A large piece of Plastic Wrap (Saran Wrap)

A Coffee cup for shaping empanadas

Preparation

Combine the corn meal, salt and the hot water. As soon as the ingredients are combined, begin to stir the mixture in to all of the water is well combined into the flour, then set aside and let the mixture cool.

Once the mixture is cool enough to handle, turn the mixture out onto a board and lightly knead the mixture and then separate mixture into 4 large balls.

Take one of the balls and flatten with a rolling pin between a large piece of saran wrap. Roll mixture out into a medium thin thickness. On the end closest to you, go up about 1 1/2 inches and place your choice of filling. After placing the filling, take the plastic and fold it over the filling, then take your cup and cut out a crescent shape Empanada. All of this is done on top of the plastic wrap. Remove the wrap from the top and remove the Empanada and set aside.

Once all of your empanadas are completed, you can fry immediately or place in the refrigerator. I like to place them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes just to allow the corn meal to set a little better.

Do not be scared of the instructions. Once you make one empanada you will see that it is very simple.

Arepitas de Yuca- Yuca Fritters

What can I say?? Here is another one of those finger foods that really take me back to my grandmother's kitchen. The star of this fritter is absolutely the anise seeds. They lend such a fantastic flavor to the yuca. The taste is out of this world! If you are not a fan of anise, do not add them to the fritters, they taste just as good without them.

For more recipes visit www.gardeningchicinthecity.com

Ingredients

1 Pound of Cassava, Yuca

½ of a packet of Sazon con Achiote- for color and flavor or you can use a natural food color (yellow)

Canola Oil, for frying

½ tsp of Anise Seeds- optional

1 tsp of Kosher salt

Preparation

Add canola oil to a pan and heat it over medium high heat. You need about 2 inches of oil in a frying pan.

Grate Cassava on a box grater . After all of the Cassava is grated, add the salt, the seasoning packet and anise (optional). Combine all of the ingredients.

Once all the ingredients are combined, scoop the mixture with a spoon and drop into the hot oil. Fry for about 2 minutes on each side, or until the fritter is golden on each side.

Serve immediately.

Pink Potato Salad with beets- Ensalada de papa con remolacha

This version of potato salad is so popular in the Dominican Republic. My fathers Mother made this for every special occasion and it is just a beautiful colored salad. Adding beets to the potatoes adds sweetness and renders the most beautiful pink color you have ever seen on a salad. Try this potato salad for your next gathering and you will be glad you did!

For more recipes visit www.gardeningchicinthecity.com

Ingredients

3 Lbs- All purpose White Potatoes
4- Large Eggs
1- Small Onion- Grated until fine or chopped finely
1 Tbsp of salt for water
**Additional Salt to season the potato salad
1- small can of Whole Beets- diced into small cubes
1- Small can of Green Peas- drained of all liquids
2 cups of Mayonnaise
3 Tbsp of Olive Oil- use a good extra virgin olive oil, I recommend Goya olive oil

Preparation

Put a pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling add salt to the water.

Cut the potatoes in half and place them into the pot of salted, boiling water.
NOTE: Do not peel the potatoes before hand. Take the skin off the potatoes after they have been boiled and cooled. At this time also add the 4 eggs on top of the potatoes so that they can also boil and harden.

Once the potatoes are fork tender remove from the water, and also remove the eggs. Drain and let potatoes cool down completely. Also let the eggs cool down completely.

Once the potatoes are cooled take each piece peel the skin off and cut into cubes. You should get about 6 cubes per each half of potato. Once all of the potatoes have been peeled and cubed set them aside.

Peel the eggs and mash the eggs with a potato masher or with a fork until you get coarse egg pieces. The pieces should be small not large. Add the eggs to the cubed potatoes.

At this time, take the potatoes and egg mixture and add the grated onion, diced beets and add the mayonnaise and toss the salad together and watch the magic unfold!

As all of the salad gets mixed together make sure that all of the potatoes are covered with mayonnaise and that all of the ingredients are well combined at this point the salad should be a beautiful pink color. Taste the salad and determine whether you want to add salt and if you do, add it at this point.

Once the potato salad is seasoned to your preference, drizzle with olive oil and add the drained peas (optional). Toss the potatoes one last time and your salad is ready. Enjoy!

Dominincan flan- Quesillo dominicano

The Dominican version of "flan" is absolutely delicious! It is rich, decadent, creamy and just down right luscious. In certain parts of Dominican it is tradition to put raisins on the top of the flan. The raisins just add another element of sweet plumpness to the flan. Try it and you will never want another flan again!

For more recipes visit www.gardeningchicinthecity.com

Ingredients

For the Custard:
8 Egg yolks
1 can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 can of Evaporated Milk
1 Tbsp of Vanilla

For the caramel:
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of water
1 Tbsp of Vanilla

Topping- Optional
Raisins- about 1/4 of a cup

Preparation

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. **I put my flan in a water bath to make sure that the oven remains moist. If you choose to do the flan by this method, make su re that you get your flan casserole to fit into a bigger pan so that you are able to add water to the bigger pan to create the water bath. If you choose not to it's fine to just bake the flan without the water bath as well.

Combine the eggs, condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla. Beat with a whisk until all of the ingredients are well combined and set the custard aside.

In a small pan heat the sugar, water and vanilla until the mixture boils and becomes a light brown color. When the brown/amber color begins to develop immediately remove the caramel from the heat and pour it directly onto the flan casserole. Give it a swirl so that all sides of the casserole get coated with the flan.

At this point you can also add your raisins to the caramel so that they can stick to it and be held in place.

Once the caramel has had a few minutes to rest and harden, strain the egg mixture through a fine strainer(to remove any egg residue)and then over the top of the caramel.

Cover casserole with foil and place into the bigger pan and add hot water into the bigger pan until it reaches midway up the casserole with the flan mixture.

Bake for an 1 hour and 20 minutes. Midway through the baking process remove the foil from the casserole and let it continue to bake.

At the end just to check the middle of the flan with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, take the flan out of the oven and let it cool.If it does not, let it go for a few more minutes.

Once the flan is completely cool run a knife around the edges to loosen the flan, put a plate on the top of the casserole and invert! Good luck. It should come out with ease! Enjoy.