April 4, 2020

Apple cake with caramel glaze, what we need now

Natacha Sanz Caballero Desserts and Sweets caramel, coffeetime, confinement, merienda, postre de manzana, tarta de manzana, teatime

We all need some comfort at this time in our lives – this time in humanity‘s life –, and apple cake falls into the category of comfort foods (anything apple, including apple tart, or apple ring fritters). As I’m writing this, in the warmth of confinement at my home in Fort Wayne, I should be in Santa Barbara, California, visiting my son Matthew, whom I haven’t seen since Christmas.

Holy Week starts Sunday, and many of you had plans to go to the beach, to go skiing, or to participate in the many religious celebrations that would be happening in all parts of the Christian world. No, this is not normal, and one day we will tell our (more…)

Cranberry and lime tartelets, Mama ía blog

November 25, 2019

Cranberry and Lime Tartelets, and a One Day Visit with Matthew at Purdue

Natacha Sanz Caballero Desserts and Sweets merienda, otoño, postre, Purdue University, tarta, tarta de lima, tartaletas, tea time, Thanksgiving, West Lafayette

When I saw this recipe I thought I had to make it. The sugared cranberries, the beautiful creamy pink filling, and the crumbling crust, had my name written on them. But I was a bit weary: sometimes beautiful recipes don’t end up tasting as great as they look.

This one, in fact, was no exception, and I had to tweak it to turn it into something quite dazzling, not just in looks but in taste. Cranberry and lime tartelets will be (more…)

June 5, 2019

Lemon Mousse Tart —and Ethan, from Graduation through first year of University

Natacha Sanz Caballero Desserts and Sweets, Events & Travel Ethan's graduation, mousse de limón, tarta de limón, university

One year after his graduation from high school, this blog post is for my son Ethan. I wanted to choose a dessert recipe to go with it, something sweet, because that’s how he is. I chose my recipe for lemon mousse tart, a light dessert I’m sure you will love as much as we do at home.

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Lemon Layer cake with lemon curd buttercream, Mama ía blog

December 24, 2018

Lemon Layer Cake with Lemon Curd Buttercream and Ginger cookies, a Christmassy Birthday Cake

Natacha Sanz Caballero Desserts and Sweets celebration, Christmas, cumpleaños, fiesta, Navidad, tarta, tarta de limón

Another birthday, yay! I’ve learned to embrace them, feeling blessed to be counting one more (thank you, Byron!). Because what’s better than adding one more year of experience to your biography? Spending one more year with your loved ones? Live life fully no matter what your age? So happy birthday to me, and to everyone who can count one more. To celebrate it, a super special cake: lemon layer cake with lemon curd buttercream and ginger cookies.

Lemon layer cake with lemon curd buttercream, Mama ia blog

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October 26, 2018

Flan Caramel, A Classic

Natacha Sanz Caballero Desserts and Sweets custard, Franke Park bike trails, mountain biking, postre tradicional, Spanish cuisine

Flan, or flan caramel, is one of those desserts I, and everyone my age, grew up with. Actually, it could be the dessert we grew up with. Every mom, every household, would make it, with just slight variations in the recipe. And not only at home, but every restaurant menu would have it, together with peach or pineapple “en almíbar”, in syrup, and different flavors of ice cream, most often chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. When I say this, I don’t mean that flan is an “old” dessert, made long ago, and that has been replaced by others in the 21st-century. Not at all! In fact, flan is a classic that never goes out of style, and shares restaurant menus with many other newer, fancy desserts.

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Blackberry lavender ice cream, Mama ía blog

September 25, 2018

Blackberry Lavender Ice Cream, Saying Farewell to Summer

Natacha Sanz Caballero Desserts and Sweets Brihuega, campos de lavanda, comunidad valenciana, helado de lavanda, helado de moras, ice cream bar, lavanda, lavender fields in Spain, Onteniente, polos mora, summer, Valencia, verano

Lavender fields in Brihuega, Spain

I am drawn to lavender. If I have to choose between scents, that will be the one I choose, whether it be hand soap or dish soap, laundry detergent or air freshener, lavender is my scent. I don’t know why, I think it is its freshness, but it could be its color, too (you just have to have a look at my closet!). But most of all, (more…)

September 12, 2018

Leche Merengada Granita —Granizado de Leche Merengada

Natacha Sanz Caballero Desserts and Sweets, Drinks Alcocebre, Alcossebre, granizado, helado, ice cream, leche merengada, summer

It has been raining for a few days, the temperatures have dropped, and I feel under the weather, so what better time to post a recipe for ice cream than now, ha ha! When I was preparing this recipe for the blog, a few days ago, the temperatures were in the 90’s Fahrenheit, 30’s Celsius. The landscape workers that were trimming our bushes and pulling out all my lavender (sniff) had to leave early because the heat was unbearable. I was happily making my husband’s favorite ice cream, in granita form, leche merengada (loosely translated to whipped cinnamon milk granita), and we still managed to enjoy it during those high temperatures.

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August 27, 2018

Carrot Cake, for Two Special Celebrations

Natacha Sanz Caballero Desserts and Sweets birthday, carrot cake, celebration, cream cheese frosting, tarta, tarta de zanahoria

It has been a while. I purposely intended to take a little break, enjoy the events that were happening in my life at a leisurely pace, then come back with new recipes. But the break kept getting longer, and longer, and even though I kept up with Instagram posts, the blog, and the recipes, (more…)

June 14, 2018

Tarta de Santiago, and El Camino

Natacha Sanz Caballero Desserts and Sweets, Events & Travel almond cake, Camino de Santiago, gluten free, pilgrimage, Santiago de Compostela, tarta de almendras, Way of Saint James

The origin of tarta de Santiago, or rather, why the famous Spanish almond tart is named after the apostle Saint James, patron saint of Spain, is unknown. But for centuries, the cake has been adorned with the cross of the knights of Saint James in confectioners sugar, and visitors to the city of Santiago de Compostela, where the apostle is believed to be buried, buy it as a souvenir of their visit to the pilgrims’ city, or arrival through the Camino de Santiago, the Way of Saint James.