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Alfajores
Alfajores are an absolutly delectable dessert! They consist of two cookies with dulce de leche (kind of like caramel) between them and are usually then rolled in powdered sugar. Alfajores are a very popular dessert in Central and South America, especially Argentina where my grandparents are from. Alfajores seem to have originated in Spain with ties to the Middle East. It seems they were brought over to South America in the 16th century. Alfajores morphed from a nutty dessert into one using milk (for the dulce de leche) and occasionally chocolate. There are plenty of varieties of dulce de leche available for purchase, or you can make your own from…
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Candied Orange Peels
When you see this title your first thought is probably, “Is it really edible?”. Yes, candied orange peel is actually really delicious and tastes like candy. As I was doing research on the history of candied orange peels, I found a lot of different sources saying different things. So here is what I know. Candied fruit dates back to Europe in the 15th century. While candied peel seems to have originated from the Arab culture, the act of using sugar to preserve food may have originated in China and Mesopotamia. The Ingredients 13 large oranges (around 6 cups of sliced orange peels) 1+1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract 2+1/2cup of water (this water…
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Seafood Paella
Paella is a saffron rice dish made in a pan with some sort of meat cooked with it. It is absolutely delicious!! Paella originates from Valencia, Spain. The word Paella means frying pan in Valencian. Paella was originally made with whatever was on hand. People often used tomatoes, snails, onions, sometimes duck or rabbit, and on special occasions saffron was added. There are two main versions of Paella. Paella Valenciana is made with rabbit, chicken, sometimes duck, beans and green vegetables. While Paella de Marisco is made with seafood and without the beans and green vegetables. The recipe I have included is for Paella de Marisco. The Recipe This recipe…
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Brazilian Cheese Balls
Brazilian cheese balls are a delicious gooey cheese bread! If you have ever had the Brazilian food from the Epcot Wine and Dine Festival at Disney World or have been to a Brazilian steak house before, you know how delectable they are. Brazilian Cheese balls, also known as Pão de Queijo, are (as you can guess) originally from Brazil. They date back to the 1700’s, but became more popular in the 1950’s. These were originally made without cheese, but at the end of the 1800’s, people began to add cheese. The most common recipe uses Tapioca flour, which is from the Cassava root and part of the original recipe. The…
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Bananas Foster
Bananas Foster is a delicious dessert made of bananas and a sweet caramel like sauce. Bananas Foster originated in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was first made in 1951 by a woman named Ella Brennan. She made this new dessert in honor of a man named Richard Foster (who was the New Orleans Crime Commission chairman). As you can obviously see, that’s how it got it’s name. This recipe is great if you have slightly squishy bananas that you don’t want to eat. I am going to show you two ways of making bananas foster. One way is quick and easy, without using the stove. The other is an on the…
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Gnocchi
Gnocchi is basically an Italian potato dumpling. First things first, they are not like Chinese dumplings that have filling (just to clarify). They most resemble thick noodles. Gnocchi originated in Northern Italy back in the late sixteenth century. The word gnocchi comes from the Italian word “nocca”, meaning knuckles. Which makes sense since they have ridges on the top, making them look like knuckles. Let’s move on to making gnocchi from scratch! The ingredients Down below is a list of ingredients you will need to make four servings of gnocchi. 800 grams of potatoes, washed 100 grams of unsalted butter 160 grams of flour 1 egg salt parmesan cheese (optional)…