Recipes, by popular demand...

Silly girl that I was, I didn't think anyone would actually want the recipes. I've been emailed and have read your comments, and now I realize that I was wrong. I had not really taken terribly good notes, so you will have to forgive me. The way that my maid threw everything together it looked incredibly simple.

Sopaipillas

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder (make sure it is not expired) Trust me on this one, the results are not pretty. See this post.
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lard or shortening
2/3 cup lukewarm water
vegetable oil for frying

In this instance squash was also used. You can go with butternut or spaghetti squash, I'm sure either would work fine. Sometimes you can get these already halved for you in the produce department. Cut the half into smaller pieces and place into water and boil until softened.

Once softened drain all water, you can then mash into small bits (or pieces). Set aside. (You can cut off the outer tough skin on the squash)

Mix dry ingredients in another bowl. Add shortening, and then the water. Now you can add your squash pieces. Begin kneading on a floured surface. Depending on the amount of squash, you might need to add a bit more flour. It should resemble a ball of dough, or be of a doughy consistency.

Divide the dough in half and let sit for 20 minutes.

Once complete, roll out the dough and cut into circular shapes, if you don't have the cutouts a cup or mug will do the trick. Poke a few holes in each of the pieces, as this helps them cook better? My maid tells me so. So it must be true. ;) Fry them in the vegetable oil for just a few minutes on each side.

Serve warm. This made about 40 sopaipillas.

Now, on to the Charquican.

You will need about 4-5 medium potatoes. Squash, 1 medium or 1/2 of a large onion, 1 lb of ground beef and 1 carrot. And some oregano.

In a frying pan, dice your onion. {Now, as a side note I need to say that I HATE onions, and I nearly fainted when I saw ALL of that onion cut up in the pan. Since the onion was finely chopped, and sauteed I could barely even taste it.} Add a dash of Oregano. I'm guessing it was a dash. It was a bit more than a pinch, so that's what I'd say. Then take your carrot and shred it with a cheese grader. Maybe shred about 1/2 the carrot. Saute for a few minutes over Medium heat and then add your beef. Brown until done. Set aside.

Cut your potatoes and squash into small pieces. Add water, but not like you are making a soup. Just enough to cover the potatoes and squash. Add salt. Boil until softened. Do not drain water. Instead mash both the squash and the potatoes until they resemble the pieces in the picture. Add ground beef mixture, stir and add salt to taste.

And I am still stuffed from today's lunch. Papa mayo, carne, y lechuga con limon & aceite. Yeah, you say that three times really fast. Translated, it's more like potato salad, lettuce with nothing more than olive oil and lemon juice, and thinly sliced beef. I wish I could tell you the cut, but it's pretty popular down here, and I wasn't sure what it was in the first place when I bought it. There was just a lot of it.

I'm quite certain I've got a winner as far as maids go. She cooks. She cooks! Do I even have to say any more than that? She cooks every day. And then there is the cleaning. I am in heaven. This so rocks. Let me tell you.

But the best part to all of this cooking, simple cooking, is the flavor. Everything tastes so good! I don't know exactly what she does, but from here on out, I am going to be paying much closer attention.

Please ask me any questions if I was unclear on anything. I hope you enjoy it. If you make it, snap a picture and share it with me. Let me know how it turns out!