Keeping the Pumpkin Recipes Rollin'

Hello all! So I've been cooking up a pumpkin storm these days...and still have about 4 cups of pumpkin puree to go. Soooo - keep the pumpkin coming!

Here's a little recipe update:
First Rafa and I carved the pumpkin/made puree. Then I made a pumpkin cheesecake (recipe to come) and toasted the seeds (just with salt and some garlic powder). Sunday morning was a good day for pumpkin chia pancakes. And yesterday I actually tried making these Pumpkin Wonton Ravioli's (which I'll post soon too!) and they turned out really nice. 

Ok...so to keep me going with the pumpkin, I found a few more recipes to try (plus a few non-pumpkin ones since it won't last me that long).

These are my new fall recipe picks:


1. S'mores popcorn balls at Club Narwhal. This gal Amy makes mouthwatering culinary creations and I'm all about trying this one!

2. Curried Pumpkin Soup with Coconut Milk @ Curry and Comfort. This has been on my to-make list since this post in mid-September. I may just have to splurge for coconut milk soon.

3. Pumpkin bread at Tastes of Lizzy T. Classic pumpkin bread is a must. I just wish there was pumpkin spice in Peru!

4. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Wantans at Peas and Crayons. Google-ing 'wantan recipes', there weren't many sweet options that came up. But this one definitely stands out. Anything cookie dough-y - I'm in! 

5. Pumpkin Pie Frozen Yogurt at Emily Bites. This looks perfect - yummy and simple! 

Didya notice that most of these are sweet things? I think I'd choose sweets over salty, most days. What about you?

Pumpkin Chia Pancakes!

Hello lovers of fall... today the pumpkin fun continues! Since we carved a pumpkin and made puree the other day, I have been trying lots of pumpkin recipes. Which means, you'll be seeing some on them right here, on this little blog!

This morning was the perfect day to experiment with some pumpkin chia pancakes. I put together this little recipe to share. Let me know how yours turn out :)

Ingredients:

I really made it by feel, so these measurements are rough estimates

1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup pumpkin puree {from can or make it yourself}

1/2 cup milk

1 egg (oops, not shown in photo)

1 scoop chia

pinch of cinnamon powder

pinch of ginger powder

add sugar or vanilla extract for more sweetness

and an egg!

To Make: 
Mix all the ingredients together. 

Get your pan really hot and add a little butter. Use a spoon, cup, or - I used an ice cream scoop - to get a consistent size. I made mine small because...aren't small things are always cuter? They're like little orange pumpkins :)

Cook until lightly browned and voila ~ there you have them! With a little melted butter and sprinkle of sugar on top, they are even better...They have a subtle pumpkin flavor and are just the right sweetness. Plus, they're a little healthier with the chia. For some more chia recipes head over here! 

Thanks for stopping by! I wish you a lovely, restful, adventurous or (fill in the adjective you'd like) Sunday!

Hallow's Eve {pictures + puree}

Hey friends, happy Halloween!! I hope you like bad cheesy jokes, because I've got one. (If you're looking for Pumpkin Puree recipe, it's at the bottom of this post!)

What's it called when someone makes magically delicious sandwiches?

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Haha! Thanks to Jan for this photo from last winter...I knew it would come in handy ;) Anyway. I was very very excited to find pumpkins here in Peru this year! I'm pretty sure they don't grow here and the hubby had never seen one before. So we had some fun the other day...

Soon after this carving adventure and photo-shoot...I turned our pumpkin head into puree! I found this idea on one of my new favorite reads, The Crunchy Moose (original post). And little did I know, but it was super easy!

A little recipe:

I just added some chancaca (a pure form of sugar), a little olive oil, vanilla extract, and cinnamon to the sliced pumpkin pieces. Then popped in the oven for about an hour. Then I peeled off the skin and pureed the pieces. I was tempted to just use the cooked pumpkin to eat or add to a dessert - they are delicious just like that. Now it's waiting for me to turn it into a delicious creation, or maybe several because it made so much!

Happy hallow's eve to all!

Tuesday Tunes #12

Hey there! It's Tuesday Tunes, where I share a new musical discovery with you and invite you to join in too. In last week's post my husband shared his musical pick {see it here}. And this week's pick is a a guaranteed booty shaker...

I don't remember exactly how I found Miriam Makeba, but it was part of my on-going artists to check out. After hearing her music and learning more about her, I saw huge role  she played in history. Actually, I felt a bit ashamed I hadn't known of her before. 

Makeba was a South African activist and singer, who shared about her country and the difficulties during the Apartheid. She was the first African voice to spread this message and music worldwide. Makeba became known as "Mama Africa" and is most famous for this song below.

Cheers to strong women, like Makeba. May the legend live on in us today. 

Now get groovin'..."Pata, Pata", Miriam Makeba.

Do you have a favorite woman artist you admire? What qualities do you admire?

DIY Natural Deodorant

Hello dear reader! I'm glad you're here today because I'm sharing my of my favorite things: DIY! When I first saw Leia's recipe I was very excited and couldn't wait to make my own natural deodorant.

Why was I so excited?? Well, first off this recipe is much more natural than store-sold deodorants and has no strange chemicals I can't pronounce. It's also really cheap to make - most of the ingredients you probably have already, except maybe coconut oil, like me. And finally, because I love the feeling of making a homemade product. So let's jump into how to make it, shall we?

Preparation
I decided to buy coconut oil online (www.iherb.com). It was about $4 for 7oz., plus a few dollars for shipping. Also, I had 2 old deodorant containers I'd been saving for this homemade concoction (I wasn't sure how much it'd make). So I cleaned out old residue and took off the labels. 

Recipe
1/4 C. baking soda
1/4 C. cornstarch (or arrowroot)
5 - 6 Tbsp. coconut oil
Tea Tree Oil (optional)

Make it
Scoop out your coconut oil and mix with other ingredients. It took a few minutes to really mash everything well together. I added about 5-6 drops of tea tree oil (also called Australian oil ;) ) because I love the smell and it gives a slight tingly feeling. Then, I filled the mix into one and a half deodorant sticks. The texture was a little soft after handling the coconut oil, so I popped them in the fridge to solidify a bit. 

Other tips
- Coconut oil is solid under 76*F, meaning it will melt to the touch. This may effect how you store your deodorant, depending on the weather where you live.
- I only followed this recipe very vaguely because I don't have measuring tools. I probably used only 4 Tbsp. coconut oil, but it seems to be enough.
- You can use any fragrance (or not) you like...lemon grass, jasmine, lavender, ylang ylang, mint, etc. 
- It's for men and women. I used tea tree oil because it's a nice neutral scent and my husband likes it too. Whereas he might not go for lavender as much.
- Try arrowhead instead of cornstarch if you have any skin reactions.

What we think:

We've been using this homemade deodorant for about a week and love it!

I say: It's very effective and lasts longer than other deodorants. I was surprised by this because other natural deodorants I've tried unfortunately haven't been as effective - sorry Toms! It will last a long time - it made 1 1/2 sticks and you don't need much at all to work. Another big plus is that I know that its healthy for us to be using. And finally, it's got a nice fresh smell and feel!

Hubby says: It's very effective, cheap, and it doesn't hurt the environment. Oh, it is smells nice too.

So what do you think? Will you be trying this sometime? If you already have, why do YOU love it?

The Boy Behind the Blog I

Hello and happy weekend! These weeks are just passing by so quickly. I have some mixed feelings because come December things are changing a bit. I'll be visiting California for the holidays, which I really am excited about. At the same time, it'll be hard to be away from the hubby and it's not set in stone how long I'll be away. 

So in light of these changes and to keep Rafa involved in my blog life, I decided to start linking-up with Boys Behind the Blog! I love the idea of getting my hubby involved with my blog! 

Here are my sweetie's responses from the first link-up, theme being blogging.

1. Does your wife/girlfriend/fiance use your real name or a nickname on her blog?

Hubby.

2. If you had a blog, what would the title be?  

Doctor Fiasco because I like the name. Or Accattone, which is a movie.

3. Do you ever feel ignored by her because of the blog?

She doesn’t always listen because she’s immersed in her blog – writing a post or fixing a photo.

4. How has her blog changed or evolved throughout your relationship? 

It brings us closer because I like to give her advice or ideas and understand what she thinks through her blog.

5. What is your favorite post on her blog?

Ch-ch-ch-chia!

Thanks for joining us here, have a beautiful weekend!

5 Tips to a New Language

It's a big and beautiful experience to dive into: not just some new vocabulary, but a whole new perspective and culture.

Hola y bienvenidos a mi blog! 
I'm sure a lot of you reading this have practiced another language at some point. Maybe some classes in high school? Perhaps you were lucky enough to study in a foreign country? And I know I've got some other ex-pats out there living abroad now. 

My second language learning experience started with Spanish. I started with high school and college classes, studied abroad in Spain, traveled, and currently live in Peru...all these experiences have helped me build up my language skills. Language learning is a big and beautiful experience to dive into: not just some new vocabulary, but a whole new perspective and culture. 

So here's a few of my top tips to picking up another idioma:

1. Immerse yourself. If you have the opportunity to study/live abroad - do it! If you don't, find another way! Maybe you can make international friends to correspond with or local language exchanges to participate in. Consistency and real life experiences will take you leaps. For me: I'm certain that while I studied Spanish in classrooms for about 7 years, I learned more my year abroad studying in Spain. 
 

2. Take a breathe and a risk. I often hear people who are learning a second language and going through the first stages of putting yourself out there. The truth is, it will be as scary and intimidating as you make it. But in real life, we're all just people and the important thing is that you're making an effort. You will make mistakes. But it's so helpful to be able to laugh at them (and jot them down to remember next time). Learn to explain with body gestures and different vocabulary. Take a breathe and just do it!For me: This would have been the most helpful advice to hear from someone. It took me a bit to put myself out there, but now it's second-nature. 

3. Make local friends(or boyfriends). This piece can take you far with your language skills. And it makes sense why: you spend more time speaking the language and learning from native speakers. This can be through everyday activities and routines (the bread shop, laundry-mat, etc), a language exchange, or social networks - like Couchsurfing. For me: I've learned a lot about language and culture from the people I've lived with. Plus, having a Spanish-speaking boyfriend (now husband) helps too!
 

4. Take notes. So even if you're not in class this can be very helpful. Try to have a little notebook to jot down anything that you want to remember or a new vocabulary word to look up {Word reference is great}.
For me: Goodness knows I'm still learning vocabulary all the time! I underline new words in books and try to look up them up.  

anything can be achieved in life, although it seems crazy.

5. Pick up some slang. Learn the typical words of places! Even if you don't feel comfortable using them, it will help to understand the locals. This jerga can show a lot about a culture and be entertaining too. For me: This has come to be one of my favorite parts of learning Spanish.  Here are a few favorites (another post is coming soon with more of these):

1 pura vida - pure life. Costa Rica   2 cerveza pinguino - a cold beer (literally 'penguin beer'). Peru   3 chimba - cool. Colombia

What other tips do you have? What do you like about learning other languages?