Quick italian dinner: pasta al pomodoro

I was reading my past posts and realized that I am always in a hectic situation.

I have to sit down and learn to breathe. Between the recording, filming and writing my social life has gone down the toilet. But who am I kidding? I love being busy. The point here is that I have to squeeze in time to do other stuff and relax a little.

That being said, I am going to share with you guys a recipe that is quick, easy and once you learn it, it never fails. So when you find yourself in a busy (or lazy) day, this is your solution.

I made this and Jimmy loved it. This is my no-fail, fool-proof recipe. Let’s take out some tomatoes and let the magic begin!

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup tomato puree ( I was feeling kind of lazy and used the canned version and I also had half tomato which I grated and added it too)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• handful of chopped basil leaves
• salt
• Pasta of your choice (I used glutten-free)

 

Instructions: 

• In a pan saute the garlic with the olive oil.
• Chop the cherry tomatoes in half (easiest way to do it) and add them with the tomato puree in the pan. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Add the salt and the chopped basil.
• In a big pot boil enough water for two portions of pasta, and add salt to the water. Once the water is at bowling point, add the pasta an let cook as instructed on the packaging. Once the pasta is cooked drain it and serve with the sauce.
• Easy, breezy… pasta al pomodoro. Enjoy!

September: 7 favorite things

One of the things I love about living in Madrid is that here I can finally celebrate the changing seasons. I honestly have to say that I have been enjoying the changing colors of nature and the chillier weather. There are still lovely afternoons and sunny mornings but I did take out my scarf because now I am always cold. A-L-W-A-Y-S.

So yes, I am going to try the pumpkin spice latte for the first time and other fall drinks (I am kind of basic) and I also will change my make up to fall colors. I can’t wait for Halloween and I will be collecting some pine cones for fall decor.

1. My mother-in-law came to visit and gifted me the most thoughtful gift ever: I now have the Iphone 6 and can’t wait to use it! So excited and thankful!

2) How lovely are these fall colors? I am enjoying long walks in the park since it’s not so hot outside anymore. 

3) I am in love with this color. It’s the Maybelline Color Drama lip pencil in 110 Pink so chic. 

4) Jimmy went to a quick trip to Barcelona and brought the cutest gift ever: my new minion pen drive. 🙂

5) You will not believe me if I tell you that the only two drinks I have ever tried from Starbucks are the expresso solo and the mocca frappucino. Yup, until last week that I tried the caramel latte. Mhhhhh…

6) My new favorite park: Parque de Fuente del Berro. Sorry «El Retiro» but this is my new favorite place. 

7) Finally using my bathtub! Yaaaaaaas to bubble baths! (This helps so much with my back pains specially after a long run) 

Any favorite fall things you guys are looking forward to? 🙂

Carrot cake: crowd pleaser

I try to always take the healthy road when I post recipes in my blog but sometimes I like to make not-so-healthy ones too (Jimmy insists on it with passion).

So today I want to share this carrot cake recipe that always makes me look good when I have guests over and since my mother-in-law is coming to visit, it is absolutely a must.

If you would like to find a healthier version of this recipe I posted one last February here.

I used this recipe and added 1/3 cup raisins but I didn’t add the frosting (yes, I’m such a rebel). Feel free to add the frosting if you like.

Enjoy! 🙂

 

Latest beauty buys: 6 favorites of the month

Lately I discovered Jaclyn Hill. I think is not possible to watch her videos and not fall in love with her. Sweetest makeup guru on earth.

So since I am in this «I-love-makeup-and-Jaclyn» phase, I have been upgrading my makeup drawers. I normally do my makeup for photoshoots and videoshoots, so having the right tools is definitely a big plus on how it is going to turn out.

In this post I want to share my 6 favorites new buys.

1. Maybelline «Baby Skin». I know this is not a new product of anything but I recently discovered it and loved it. I sometimes apply it alone if I don’t want to wear any foundation and it leaves my skin soft and glowing.
2. YSL Foundation «Le teint touche eclant» in B40. I tried a sample of this foundation and loved it. It stays on my skin all day long without wearing off. The tone is just perfect.
3. Revolution’s Pro-fix oil control fixing spray. I went to a wedding recently and my makeup stayed put for as long as 12 hours, no kidding. I spray this after I finish my makeup and it sticks to my face giving me a healthy glow. A-m-a-z-i-n-g.
4. I was not into matte lipstick thing until I discovered this one: L’oreal Color Riche Matte in 640 «erotique». It is the perfect lipstick for any occasion.
5. Revolution’s Salvation Velvet Lacquer in «Keep crying for you» shade. Be warned: this is as hot pink as it gets.
6. Yves Rocher highlight powder. I bought this in-store here in Madrid but can’t seem to find it online because it says that the product is no longer available. This is a similar one.

Basics: homemade almond milk

I remember the time when I couldn’t stand the taste of almonds; for some reason it didn’t do it for me. Now, after all this intolerance nonsense that cause my migraines, I have come to good terms with it since it’s a fantastic alternative to normal milk (which I don’t like the taste of per se).

Back in Caracas I used to make my own almond milk because it was impossible to find it in stores but when I moved to Madrid I found in the «natural» stores sugar-free almond milk. When I tasted it it seemed kind of…well kind of non natural. The taste was very artificial and the texture did not seem right. After I took a look at the ingredients it said 7% almonds. Say whaaaaat? What about the other 93%?

So to make a short story even shorter, I now make my own almond milk at home and I’m very happy with it. I mix some dates and vanilla with the milk other times I add some cinnamon it all depends on your personal taste…

Ingredients:

• 1 cup blanched almonds (soaked at least 8 hours or overnight)
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 3 dates or 2 tbsp stevia sweetener (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla (optional)

The most important part here is to soak your almonds for at least 8 hours, 12 hours max. Once they have been soaked, you drain the almonds and put them in the blender. For each cup of almonds you add 2 1/2 cups water. I used to add 3 cups but the milk turned out watery and I like it foamy and thick. Then, if you like, you can add the dates and the vanilla.

Blend for at least three minutes then pour your mix into a cloth strainer and squeeze all the milk into a clean bowl. If you want you can set aside what remains inside the stainer and make some almond flour later. (I’ll leave the simple steps at the end of this post.) 

Refrigerate your milk: it lasts for about 3 to 4 days in the fridge.

Enjoy!

Almond flour: Set your oven on broil. Take out you oven’s tray and add a parchment paper. Take what’s left in the strainer and spread it on the tray. Leave in the oven for 15 min. Turn the oven off and let the flour cool inside the oven so it dries off. Once the flour is dry strain it in a sieve so you now have a fine type of almond flour. 🙂