Alfajores - (Sugar cookies with Caramel filling)

Alfajores (Sugar cookies with Caramel filling)

This recipe is a favorite…an original…from my Aunt Kath who lived in Argentina about 20 years. (Maybe I’ll hear back from her if it isn’t correct!) It is one of the best we ever tried. And its the ONLY recipe I ever use for alfajores. Everything is measured in grams, here (in Paraguay) and in the recipe, so I am not sure about the exact cup measurements. Try these out!

2 cups margarine (400 grams)

1 ½ cups of sugar (300 grams)

6 yolks

2 tablespoons vanilla,

“dulce de leche” liquor or rum

3 cups corn starch (600 grams)
2 cups flour (400 grams)

Mix the margarine and sugar. Add yolks and flavouring. Stir in cornstarch and flour. Roll out. Cut out with a round cookie cutter. Bake until LIGHTLY browned. Cool. Cover one cookie bottom with "dulce de leche" (caramel jelly) and stick another bottom cookie together to make a sandwich. Roll in shredded coconut.

I used mandioca starch instead of cornstarch since it is 1/3 the price. I also used Watkins Irish Creme flavoring. I also don't have the perfect sized-circle cutter so I used the top of a spray-can and it was just the size I wanted. You can save the egg whites for a jelly roll. :)

These cookies kind of like melt in your mouth!

Sunsets

You may have seen this yesterday on Facebook, but I wanted to write a little story behind it here.

When I was in seventh grade, Mr. Shelton, our art teacher asked us to do a free-style picture of a paradise. I dreamed up some palm trees and an ocean setting and started to draw. I don't want to brag, but I almost never got lower than an A-. So, I drew and colored a sunset paradise. It actually looked almost exactly like this real picture I took the other day. I proudly presented my work and it came back graded as an F!

I was soooooo mad I could not look at him for days or weeks. He just didn't understand my artistic feelings. How could he be an art teacher and not "get" what I was drawing and dreaming. I must not have ever really gotten over it because it is still so fresh in my mind...or maybe it was the first time I ever got an F, or maybe I didn't follow directions, or maybe it was just that HE was having a bad day.

Whatever it was...I still remember my sunset paradise! And, I love this dreamy time of day when I can start winding down and enjoy a cool breeze or two with my family.

Christ in Christmas

I wanted to post this earlier, but in the rush of activities, visitors and other plans, I didn't even have a chance to sit at the computer since last Wednesday.

Living in a very religious country, the Nativity scene is still so very popular in many cities, plazas, malls, homes, stores, or just about anywhere. You can buy the ceramic figurines and little straw stables on the street corners the whole month of December.

In the past couple of years, Santa Claus, presents, and the Christmas tree have become more popular, but it's still comforting to see Christ still in Christmas here in Paraguay...even though He may not be around in the cities, plazas, malls, homes and stores the REST of the year.

And...good thing He's in OUR HOUSE all year long!!!

Christmas decorations

I promised my aunt I would take a picture of my boxwood wreath...just like she taught me!
It's so cool! I wish I would have thought of this years ago!
It's on my front door bringing Christmas cheer to all of us!
I have so many things to write about and such little time. Pictures will have to do for now. I have Oscar's family (cousins) with us for Christmas. I am preparing - already!
Our parties start tomorrow and the family meal is on the 24th. Everyone bakes, cooks, and grills double so you don't have to work on Christmas day. Plus, traditionally, you have to share a plateful of your Christmas meal with your neighbors and they also give you a plateful of their goodies. We planning on going to La Quinta with Oscar's family. Have a great Christmas!

Weddings, weddings, weddings!

We had many weddings this weekend. This is the season for weddings! Nice hot weather for late night weddings! One wedding was a court wedding to get paper work started for the international couple...
Jason y Katy

Tomás y Loida

Nestor y Emilia

PJ and Edson

We have some friends here from the states. Our house has been a "home" for several young kids through out the years. Vivi, Amy, Emilia, Ben, Jason, and so many more on a shorter term stay...weeks, weekends, days, etc. Well, we have had proposals in our home, love-calls, emails and now even skype for the travellers (in love).

My story revolves around PJ who ended up marrying Amy and they are now visiting Paraguay for Emilia's wedding.

PJ has a wonderful gift of bonding with little kids. He bonded many years ago with Brandon and Gaby when they were little and now he and Edson have a special kind of friendship. Three years ago, Edson (and PJ) were so content to be together. Edson was a sleepy little 2 month old while PJ held him (at another wedding). PJ is so patient and will listen to a Spanish/English slur by a 3 year old in such a comprehensive way. Edson knows he is listening and can trust PJ with his stories. PJ pulls Edson up on his lap and of course, Edson knows that he's won a friend! Yes, we are thankful for PJ!

Well the funny thing is...Edson can't say PJ. He says "Pinche". Pinche means several things in Spanish. When I looked it up in the Larousse dictionary I was amazed at the different meanings. Each country has its own translations of this word and how it's used. Here in Paraguay, it could be a tack, a thistle or a pinch.

So whenever Edson calls for "Pinche" we all kind of laugh a little. But we know they both have a special bond!

Sights of Christmas

Christmas Decorations At the Mariscal Lopez Mall

Edson, Mall, Christmas

Edson is on a merry-go-round. It's really the only thing he likes to do at the play-place in the mall.

I am into videos, now, so here is another one. (GramS, you're gonna have to get onto GrampS's computer to see it.)

We took Gaby to a very elegant, dress-up, 15 yr. old birthday party and the rest of us spent the evening in the mall and then took a tour of Asuncion.

The mall was lit up with Christmas-y lights and decorations, but we were surprised that the city for the most part, wasn't real lit up (yet) this year. We did get some good shots that I will share this week. We enjoyed some Mc Donald's fries and then took a stroll inside and outside the mall. We were stalling for time (Gaby asked us not to pick him up until midnight!) so we ventured out through the Gran Asunción.

It was a fun family night...minus Gaby.

Christmas Program

Edson was a little pastor in our Christmas program this year. While they were getting their outfits on he came running out, crying, because he didn't want to put this stuff on. He wasn't too sure about this pinchy-halo thing. So, he sat with us for a while until it was his time to perform.
While the kids were doing a beautiful choreography, I focused in on Edson in the back...doing his part, I guess.
Watch the movie clip below and ... Enjoy!
Merry Christmas!

Today

Just about every day there is a little bit of rain out there. Sometimes it's just a light rain and sometimes it's a loud thunder storm. It is very humid! Today we are enjoying nice breezes...

that cools things down a lot. The mosquitos are becoming HUGE. They are out at all times of the day. Our trees are loaded with growing fruits...mangos, grapefruits, oranges, guavas, kinotos, lemons, cherimoyas, and the star fruit.

The boys cut the grass today. They washed the car and swept it out. The house is clean, the clothes are dry, folded and put away. There is beef cooking in the slow cooker for empanadas later on.

...Hey, I think we need visitors again!

First Graduation - 2

Our First GraduationYou crown the year with a bountiful harvest... Sal 65.11 (NLT) One of the teachers decorated a beautiful bulletin board this past month with this verse on it. Every time I went to school and saw this huge message on the bulletin board I said a prayer of thanks! The Lord has been so great to us this whole year. He crowned this school-year with a dream of our first graduation at Colegio Privado Adonai. Nine students graduated on December 3, 2009. Seven years after opening the school we were blessed to be part of these students' lives and give them an education, patiently listen to their problems, and share the hope of salvation with them.
One troubled girl came as a seventh grader. She was extremely rebellious and going through some rough family problems. She was angry, spiteful and just very rude to anyone in authority. Several times she was close to being dismissed from our school...forever, but God was slowly working out some issues in her life. Two years ago, her mom went through a life or death health situation and we were, once again, on our knees praying for this student and this family.
On Thurday night, she came up to me and hugged me and thanked me for all our patience with her. Friday night at the graduation dinner, her mother came up to me and said that she checked out IBA (Asuncion Bible Institute) for her college education...her daughter's choice! Just seeing her as a happy, completely changed person is huge, "bountiful harvest" for us this year. What a joy to be able to work with her and see the Lord's hand in her life these past couple of years.
Praise God with us for this special year...our First High School graduation.

First Graduation at CPA

Best students, Nidia and Fabiola


















Nine students in our first graduation

7th, 8th and 9th grade music choir did a special number.




















Some of the teachers did a song in four-part harmony!
The graduates with their diplomas.



















A nice surprise!

Fun Flowers and a Pineapple

Christmas Program at CPA

Last Friday night the school kids put on their end-of-the-year program and it was just so beautiful!

Grades 1, 2, and 3 had special numbers. Some did choreographies, some sang in English and some in Guarani and Spanish.

Our pre-school and kindergarten teachers did such a great job preparing a little skit for the kids. The pre-school teacher had the kids present the Christmas story and the kindergarteners did the story of THE PRINCE OF EGYPT...Moises. It was so cute! They did a lot of work on it and it was a special ending for our school year.

(P.S. The kindergarten teacher is Jason's fiancé...)

Thanksgiving Pictures

We had a mixed Thankgiving get-together...mixed as in Paraguayan and American friends. Jason and his fiancé, Katy Fretes, came as well as Pastor Pedro and his family.

I did a very American-style meal with corn on the cob, asparagus, green bean casserole (with real French-Fried onion rings that I found in an American section at a Supermarket in town) and, of course, Turkey. Jason made some apple pies for dessert.

Yes...we ARE thankful! God has been good!

Not Very Bloggy

I haven't been very bloggy lately. I haven't been writing or reading blogs for a while. There are several reasons...it's hot! We have been doing lots of end-of-school planning, etc. I had a toothache all weekend and finally, yesterday ran off to get it fixed, somehow. I spent some time with a friend who needed encouragement. I took the kids to soccer on Friday night at church. And...I have been totally caught up in this site...Prophecy News Watch.
This has always been Oscar's favorite topic, but just lately, as I see things unfold in front of my eyes and in every days' news, It's kind of interesting to see so much of prophecy being fullfilled. It makes me kind of want to go...now! It makes me want to purify myself even more. It makes some things in life seem so silly and unnecessary. It makes me anxious to see our KING OF GLORY coming in the clouds.
I am preparing for Thanksgiving and thinking about what to do on Christmas. I am busy about this and that...what to cook, what to buy. Gifts?...hmmmm. I am cooking, freezing and saving up, but I wonder, am I preparing for the wedding feast in the same way? Am I also doing good works, serving others, giving someone else some of this STUFF that I have stashed away for 18 years? Am I reaching out to the lost? Am I building up a teen with low self-esteem? Am I listening and encouraging my friend who is saddened by a marriage problem?
After all...what is life all about? What are YOUR plans for this coming month?
Okay, I gotta go. I am cleaning out closets today. I gotta give some of this stuff to someone who needs it...alot!

Guava Flowers

These beautiful, white flowers turn into golf-ball, size guavas in February. I was remembering that I still have some frozen guava butter from last year...hmmm. It suddenly turned into a Guava Coffee Cake. I kind of re-did a Betty Crocker Coffee Cake recipe and adapted it to our own tastes.















Guava Coffee Cake
3 cups self-rising flour
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
Heat oven to 375º
Grease pan.
Blend all ingredients except for the topping. Spread in pan. Drop guava butter by teaspoons full on top of batter and smear slightly.
Sprinkle topping over batter. Bake 25 to 30 min.
Topping...
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons of butter
2 cups of oats
Mix until crumbly.

Final Exam Speeches

Several teachers, this year, had the kids do speeches for their final exams.

Brandon did a speech about plant remedies. Interestingly enough, we had about 20 out in our back yard!

Edson is 3!

Edson's third birthday... November 15th.

I made the cake, but I bought the zoo animals, all painted up on styrofoam.

Edson was licking the icing as I was taking pictures.

The other kids are some of Edson's cousins.