I {HEART} Cooking- Habichuelas con Dulce

Did you though I forgot my promise for the Dominican Easter Dessert? I was just waiting for Easter to be over, because we had some visit over for Easter and the house was crowded and lots of things to do :)
This recipe is called Habichuelas con Dulce (Sweet Beans), a lot of people have a first reaction when they hear this: yuck! Beans that are sweet!, but trust me on this one, because this taste nothing like beans, so if you are feeling adventurous and want to try something new and 100% Dominican/Caribbean this is for you!
You have to start the night before you want to do it...
Get one pound of red beans and one cinnamon stick in a large bowl. Remember that you have to rinse those beans first to make sure they are clean.
Cover them in hot water, like 2 inch above the beans.

I told you it was hot, see that smoke coming out :) Cover them and go to sleep!

Next morning they will look like this...
Add some more hot water and boil them in a large saucepan for 1 hour (check the water level and add more if you need).

While you are boiling those beans, get 1 pound of sweet potatoes; peel, cube and boil them in salty water.

Turn them off and set aside once they are soft. See you later sweet potatoes!

Blend the beans in the water that you cooked them.

Pass the blended beans thru' a colander. You probably wont be able to blend them all together, so you will have to divided them.

When you are putting it thru' the colander, help yourself with a spoon, because it will be thick, but you want to make sure you got all the liquid out. It should look like this in the end, and that is what you will discard.

It's normal for the liquid to have white foam (bubbles) so dont freak out!

My saucepan is a caldero is made here in DR, but you can use any saucepan or pot.

Add 2 cans (2 2/3 cups) evaporated milk and 1 can of coconut milk.

Taking pictures while pouring liquids is hard!!!

Turn the heat on and ignore the fact that my oven looks old and dirty (bean water spilled on it before :P).

Add 1 cup of sugar.

1 can (1 1/2 cups) of sweetened condensed milk.

And spices: 1/2 tsp. nutmeg powder, 8 cloves and 2 cinnamon sticks.

Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes and stir every once in a while ;)

This should give you time to rinse the salty water out of your sweet potatoes!
Here in DR sweet potatoes are white, but I am sure you can use anyones you find.

Add the sweet potatoes.

1/2 cup of rainsins

1 tsp. salt

2 tsps. butter

and 1 tsp. vanilla essence

dont worry those butter stains will dissapear :)

Stir...

Cook on low heat for 15 minutes more and dont forget to stir every now and then :p
This is my family's personal touch, some people here in DR do it, some people dont (so it is really optional) add a pinch of ground ginger...

After the 15 minutes it should have a the right consistency.
You can serve them hot or cold (I like mine warm, but Bayo loves his cold!)

To serve them add some milk cookies; people here eat them with this cookies or cassava bread.

The cookies have a milk-y flavor, try to find something similar and crunchy!
This cookies are sooooo famous for this easter dessert and practically is the only brand people buy for them, that they even come with a little cross!

Cute, ha!!!
So have a bowl...

or two...

or 3 like Bayo did!!!

Enjoy!!

I want to dedicate this post to my sweet sister, who LOVES beans but DOES NOT miss DR and her family... or is it the other way around??

I wont be back until I take my test, after the 25th; please pray for me that day :)

I {HEART} Cooking - Easter Bake!

Easter is almost here, so we need a recipe to go with that, dont we??

I just baked this today, a request from Bayo to do a Carrot Cake with Almonds!!

This recipe is from The Pioneer Woman Cooks, all of her recipes (that I've tried so far) are delicious!!! so I just followed it and added the almonds.

Want to try some? Get this then ;)

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups grated carrots

1/2 cup of Almonds (they are better cut in big chunks instead of the thin slices).

And do these :p
Mix sugar, oil, and eggs. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add to first mixture and combine. Add carrots and almonds and mix well. Pour into a greased and floured pan (Bundt, sheet cake, 9 x 13 Pyrex) and bake until done, 25 to 50 minutes, depending on the pan you use, for example I used a loaf pan and had to bake it for 50 minutes, I also ended up with extra batter and did some muffins but those only took 25 minutes, like Pioneer Woman said: "Just give the pan a very gentle shake if you’re unsure. If it jiggles, it ain’t ready". This tip really works!!!

You could add a Cream Cheese Frosting, Pioneer Woman also has a great recipe on the same page with the Carrot Cake one, we like ours plain to eat it for breakfast or snack, and it is good like that too!!

I just had to play with the picture ;p it has become an addiction and I cant stop!!! Do you like the bunnies on my carrot?

I've got a Dominican Easter Dessert coming up soon (actually after easter) this is a really popular dish here, if you go to a house on easter you are going to get this serve, Bayo LOVES it and this is my first time making it :) I will try to do a step by step photo instuctions on the recipe, so if you are feeling adventurous come back, is really different and kind off exotic, but trust me this is TO GOOD TO BE TRUE. Come back to find out what I am doing :)

PS- If you are my sister, you are not aloud to say what it is ;p