Butternut squash soup, Mama Ía blog

Butternut Squash Soup —straight from the pumpkin farm

Butternut squash soup, Mama Ía blogAt our house, butternut squash soup is to winter what gazpacho is to summer: it’s always available. That’s why I still can’t believe this recipe wasn’t on Mama Ía blog yet. There are so many recipes still waiting to be posted! 

Butternut squash soup, Mama Ía blog

Pumpkin farm, Mama Ía blog

Walking through pumpkins at Hilger Family Farm

We are deep into the season of fall, and with that, butternut squash soup can be found on my stove, in my fridge and in my freezer (yes, it freezes wonderfully!). There’s nothing like (more…)

Pisto, Mama Ía blog

Pisto —and building a vegetable garden (Part 3): THE FENCE

Pisto, Mama Ía blogI used so many of my garden vegetables for pisto that its recipe could only be posted alongside more on the progress of the vegetable garden, or Part 3. 

Pisto, Mama Ía blog

Vegetable garden, Mama Ía

Planting the seedlings on a very hot summer day

Tomatoes, peppers and zucchini have been growing with abandon, to the point where, mid November, I still (more…)

Cod with roasted red peppers, Mama Ía blog

Cod with Roasted Red Peppers —and a Fall weekend in Miami

Cod with roasted red peppers, Mama Ía blogCod with roasted red peppers seemed like an appropriate recipe to share on today’s post: Miami makes me think of fish, if for no other reason that it’s a coastal city and delicious fresh fish is widely available.

Design District, Mama Ía blog

Cod, as you know, is one of my favorite varieties, and the ways to (more…)

Turrón ice cream, Mama Ía blog

Turrón ice cream —and Summer 2020 in Santa Barbara

Turrón ice cream, Mama Ía blog

It happens every year: Summer dwindles away and I hold onto it for dear life. It’s easy to think that way, when I look through my window and the sun is shining, and I go outside and sit on the patio and I don’t even need a light jacket. I scroll down through Instagram and all the beautiful, talented people I follow are praising the coming of fall and embracing it with open arms.

Santa Barbara Court House, Mama Ía blogTurrón ice cream, Mama Ía blogI, in the other hand, hope for the Indian summer, the “veranillo de San Miguel”,  as we call it in Spain. And for (more…)

Zucchini layer cake, Mama Ía blog

Zucchini Layer Cake –and building a Vegetable Garden (Part 2)

Print RecipeZucchini layer cake, Mama Ía blogIf you like carrot cake, you’re going to love zucchini layer cake. The first time I made zucchini loaf bread I couldn’t even imagine you could put zucchini into a dessert. Yet, the result was outstanding. Less known than its cousin the banana nut loaf bread, zucchini bread is one to discover. 

Zucchini cake, Mama Ía blogVegetable garden, Mama Ía blog

For Spaniards, carrot cake is a late discovery, and zucchini loaf bread is a complete unknown. So needless to say, this cake is not a Spanish recipe. You know Mama Ía blog is the place for Spanish cooking in America. But as I say in (more…)

Cucumber gazpacho, Mama ía blo

Cucumber Gazpacho —and a trip to Assisi

Cucumber gazpacho, Mama ía blogWe’re starting to see the fruits of our efforts, and with a bounty of vegetables from our garden, I‘ll be posting more recipes that use them. This post brings you a wonderful gazpacho that could be rightly called green gazpacho, a cucumber gazpacho that includes not only cucumber but also avocado and some other fruits of our garden: green pepper, jalapeño, basil and parsley. You see? A green gazpacho!

Assisi, Mama Ía blog

Cucumber gazpacho, Mama Ía blog (more…)

https://amzn.to/2OmwN1N

Chicken with Cumin and Pimentón Dressing —and planning a vegetable garden (PART 1)

Chicken with cumin and pimentón, Mama Ía blogThe recipe I’m sharing today, chicken with cumin and pimentón dressing and tomato arugula salad holds flavors that remind me of summers in Spain —grilled meats, pimentón and fresh vegetables in one single dish. The grilled chicken has the right amount of heat to please every palate at the table, and the tomato arugula salad, with a dressing that incorporates the flavors of the marinade, blend beautifully in this very summery dish.

This is the summer of what could have been and will not be. Of plans that came undone and yet thankfulness for our health. Of “what if‘s” that have affected us all.

Brothers, Mama ía blogNeighbors, Mama ía blogAs I write this, I should have been in Spain for three weeks now, expecting the rest of my family to arrive today. We would have been heading to the beach on Sunday for a week of family time and fun, relaxation and tapas bars hopping, beach games (more…)

Triple cheesecake with amaretti crust, Mama ía blog

Triple cheesecake with Amaretti crust and Caramelized Blood Oranges ––a glimpse into confinement

Triple cheesecake with amaretti crust, Mama ía blogHave you noticed something different in this post? Okay, you will have to scroll all the way down to the recipe. Which by the way, you’re going to love. It’s a triple cheesecake with amaretti crust and caramelized blood oranges. What a combination of flavors! One bite and you’ll realize how they were made to be together. For the amaretti crust —or almond cookie crust—, you’ll be able to use the recipe of my previous post. Those almond cookies are good on their own and they are outstanding for this crust.

Garden 2020, Mama Ía blog

But I’m digressing. Let’s go back to my first sentence: if you scroll down, you will see the look of the recipe has changed. I’ve incorporated a new format that will make it easier for you to (more…)

Almond cookies, amaretti, Mama Ía blog

Almond Cookies (amaretti-like), and a trip to Perugia

Almond cookies, amaretti, Mama Ía blogAlmond cookies, amaretti-like, to sweeten up this very odd situation. It’s hard to believe what’s happening right now in the world. When I remember the times, not that long ago, when we could travel, I can’t help but think that we are living in a dystopian movie, and that, like in the movies, it will have a happy ending.

Perugia, Mama Ía blog

Temple of Sant’Angelo

My flight to Spain this summer has been canceled by the airline due to the pandemic and the closing of borders in many parts of the world (certainly the borders of Spain). I can now only travel in (more…)

Beef stew with sherry sauce, Mama Ía blog

Beef Stew with Sherry Sauce, and Winter Days in Valencia

Beef stew with sherry sauce, Mama Ía blogBeef stew with sherry sauce is not the recipe I would have wanted to post/make, but climate made me. Where is Spring? We eagerly received it a month ago, soon after confinement was mandated, but the weather keeps telling us it’s not time for warm temperatures yet. In a way, it could be a good thing, as I would personally rather be watching a gray day outside than a sunny one, given the circumstances that keeps us indoors.

Beef stew with sherry sauce is a recipe I wanted to post last January, but for one reason or another I didn’t. These days we are seeing more and more people spending time in the kitchen, trying new recipes or simply (more…)