Outside In

Thursday, May 12, 2011

For women in Business

I hope it brings you some inspiration.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

A couple of months ago I became a member of Beyond the Rack an invitation-only site that gives you access to great sales. My First purchase was my favorite perfume, Michael Kors, at half price, and I got hooked.

After that I heard about The Foundary,a home furnishing sale site were I got a Chilewhich floor mat again 50% off original price.

Another one of my favorites Gilt, high end products at extremely low prices, they have apparel, accessories for men, women and children and also a section for Jetsetters that offers deals on luxury vacations.

Almost all the sales start at 11:00am each day and last from 24-36 hours. Sales can give you up to 60% off, after becoming a member.

Below are the links to my favorite sites if you want to join.

Have a happy shopping.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

En la cocina - Enchiladas

Last night I decided to try a new recipe, Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa, is a Tyler Florence recipe. If you like Mexican food, you must try these enchiladas. Very easy and super tasty, will definitely make you want more.

Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa:

1 pound tomatillos, husked
1 white onion, peeled, sliced, quartered or whole
4 garlic cloves
2 jalapenos
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 lime, juiced

Enchiladas:

Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock, storebought
Chopped cilantro leaves
1 deli roasted chicken (about 3 pounds), boned, meat shredded
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
10 large flour tortillas
1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
2 cups sour cream
Chopped tomatoes and cilantro leaves, for garnish
Spicy Black Beans, recipe follows
Yellow Rice, recipe follows
Guacamole, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

For the salsa:

On a baking tray, roast tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapenos for 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the roasted vegetables and any juices on the bottom of the tray to a food processor. Add the cumin, salt, cilantro, and lime juice and pulse mixture until well combined but still chunky.

Enchiladas:

Meanwhile heat a 2 count of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and caramelized - this should take 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin then cook for a further minute. Sprinkle on the flour and stir to ensure the flour doesn't burn then gradually add the chicken stock to make a veloute. Continue stirring over a low simmer until the flour cooks and the liquid thickens. Turn off the heat, add half of the roasted tomatillo chile salsa, some additional fresh chopped cilantro and fold in the shredded chicken meat. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Change the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees F and begin assembling the dish. Take a large baking dish and smear the bottom with some of the reserved tomatillo salsa. Now take the flour tortillas and briefly flash them over the stove-top flame (or put them briefly under the broiler if using an electric stove). Using a shallow bowl, coat each tortilla lightly with the reserved salsa mix. Put a scoop of the shredded chicken-enchilada mix on top of the tortilla followed by a sprinkle of the shredded cheese. Fold the tortilla over the filling and roll like a cigar to enclose it. Using a spatula place the tortillas in the baking dish and continue to do the same with all the tortillas. Finally pour over some more of the salsa and top with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes until bubbly and cracked on top. Garnish, cilantro and tomato.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Red Cross for the Red dot.

Japan needs our help. Please donate to Red Cross or charity of your choice for relief efforts.

http://www.redcross.org/

Via Greg Melander

Thursday, March 10, 2011

En la cocina- Rasperry Mascarpone Macarons

So I finally decided to make the famous macarons. I used Tartelette's recipe, it seemed pretty easy. First I made the big mistake of confusing parchment paper with wax paper, needless to say the macarons got stuck to the paper, but still pretty tasty, so I had them like that.
Last night I got the right paper and tried again, and they came out great, of course they don't look professional, I still need to work on shape and size but the flavor was great.

There is nothing to fear about making macarons, it looks more scary than what it is. I'll keep practicing and in the process hubby for sure will be enjoying the samples.