Presley's Pantry

There’s something to say about a good cup of joe, and Nescafe Dolce Gusto just made coffee even better to drink.  They have these uber cool machines that pour you a cup in single servings and I have been enjoying every last drop.  Well now it’s time for me to give one away to you my fine pretty.  Enter to win this magnificent coffee maker and you will be one happy elf this Christmas!  Check out all the delicious flavors at Nescafe Dolce Gusto online store.  Let your taste buds have a party with Caramel Latte Macchiato, Espresso, Vanilla Latte, and even Chai Tea Latte.

The LUCKY winner will receive: 

• One Nescafe Dolce Gusto (Piccolo model) Coffee Machine
• One box of assorted coffee capsules

Here’s how to enter to win! Up to 4 chances per person….. Good Luck!

Counts as 1 entry:  Leave a comment below letting me know which time of day you love coffee the most.

Counts as 1 entry:  Like Presley’s Pantry on Facebook.

Counts as 1 entry: Tweet:  Awesome #Giveaway! Win a Nescafe #Dolce Gusto Coffee Machine via @Presleyspantry! Please Re-tweet! http://wp.me/p1mJLS-W1

Counts as 1 entry:  Share this post with your friends on Facebook.

Yay!  Up to 4 entries means better odds of winning!  Please leave me a comment for each action you took so I could keep track. 

Open to U.S. Residents only.  No PO Boxes, please. Must be 18 years or older to enter.   Contest ends December 24, 2011 at 11:59 PM, PST and one (1) winner will be randomly chosen from all entries through random.org.

I was invited to take a drive up the coast to Los Olivos with a group of my favorite pals.  Last weekend Sprint hosted a group of us Latina Bloggers from Latina Bloggers Connect to a wine and cupcakes event.  We made a couple of stops along the way.  First stop, Fess Parker Winery the owner played Davy Crockett.  You might remember him from the Disney movies in the 60’s.  My mom and Grandfather knew who he was right away.  Fess Winery is located in a beautiful vineyard in northern Santa Barbara.

It’s a sprawling piece of land with breathtaking views. One of the scenes from the movie Sideways was filmed there. The wine was fantastic and got us all feeling very happy, as wine does.

Since they have picnic tables on the grounds, my friend Ericka (her blog is called Nibbles and Feasts) and I made lunch for all our friends. We spoiled them with many treats (I will link some of the recipes at the bottom of this page).

Then we made our way back to our limo and were off into the afternoon towards Los Olivos.  We came across the cutest wine tasting room my eyes had ever set sight on ….. Saarloos and Sons.

I have to say the atmosphere was amazing and the gentleman who owns the place, Keith gave one of the most inspirational tutorials I had ever heard.  I listened with open ears and found all his words came from the heart.  Wish I had Saarlos and Sons closer to my town.

Find your way there for excellent wine and chat.  It was such a perfect day, glad I was able to spend it with my friends.  Thank you Sprint for letting me come along for the ride.

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. I simply had a fantastic day and wanted to share it with you.

Photos taken by: Nicole Presley and Rachel Matos

I feel like I’ve been working my way up the tamale making line my whole life.  When I was a little girl I wasn’t allowed to get my tiny hands in the tamale making process along with the other women in my family.  The spreading of the masa or filling the tamales was reserved for the adults.  I was stuck soaking the corn husks and then putting them in a strainer to dry.  When I got a little older I was then asked to label the bags so we would know which were red, green, or sweet.  It wasn’t till I became a pre-teen that I was allowed to sit at the table with the grown ups.  I remember my aunt saying to me “If you can master the spreading of the masa, then you are ready to make tamales.”  I learned quickly and never had to watch over soaking corn husks again.  I was now sitting in the prize spot with my family, listening in on all the tidbits they shared about life and days of their youth.

I am now able to make tamales from start to finish with no help or extra assistance from anyone and have somehow become the ring leader of the entire process with the ladies.  Every year, my aunts vow that they are done making tamales and are happy that they have taught me well to carry on the tradition, but the minute December rolls around they all start looking at the calendar to see if there is a day when we can all meet.  None of this unity would be possible without Maseca, and for that, I am grateful for the amazing tasting corn flour.

This year I spent the day showing my little cousins and nieces how to spread the masa on the corn husks the way my aunts showed me.  Hoping that one day down the line they too will be able to make tamales for their families and show their daughters and sons……

Photo & video by: Mando Lopez

Disclosure: This is a sponsored campaign for Maseca and Latina Bloggers Connect.

This summer I entered a picnic side-dish recipe contest held by the market chain Fresh & Easy (Western states).  GUESS WHAT?  I WON THE GRAND PRIZE!!!  My salad is going to be packaged and sold at Fresh & Easy stores Summer 2012!  I am completely beside myself and thrilled beyond belief!  Just wanted to share this with you all.  More details to come on the recipe submitted as the warm season approaches next year.  Hip Hip Hooray!

My friend Lacey is no joke when it comes to nuts.  I recently had a little poker gathering at my place and she brought over her spicy roasted nuts and all you could hear were sounds of pleasure from everyone munching on them.  They were all the rage and I was just as blown away by this bowl of nuts as everybody else was.  I twisted her arm to not only share her recipe with me, but to come over and make them so I could write down all the measurements and share them with you, my dear confidants.  Here is the uber-delish recipe Miss Lacey agreed to part with.

In the words of Lacey, “Make sure to pull your hair back while making these nuts…. No one likes hairy nuts!”

Ingredients for spicy nuts:

6 – cups unsalted nuts (we used almonds, pecans, cashews, and pistachios)

1/2 – cup unsalted butter

1/2 – heaping cup  brown sugar

1/3 – cup fresh rosemary (chopped)

5 – teaspoons cayenne red pepper

1 1/2 – teaspoons salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set to the side.

In a large mixing bowl add nuts. Mix well.

In a sauce pan over a medium flame add butter just to melt.  Then pour the melted butter into the nuts and mix well.

Next add in brown sugar and mix well. Now add the rosemary and cayenne pepper, and mix well. Lastly add salt and give it a final stir.

Lay out nuts on cookie sheet and bake for 23 to 25 minutes.

When you first pull nuts out of the oven, they will be a bit chewy.  They harden as they cool.  Allow to cool for 20 minutes then dig in!

Greetings!  I’m so excited to share my very first webisode with you!  This is numero uno of many, many more to come.  Sit in a comfy place cuz this is a 15 minute instructional recipe.  Meet Flavio the Bolillo and watch me cook up one of my specialties…. Chile Rellenos!

Ingredients for chile rellenos:

6 – anaheim chiles

vegetable oil

onion

garlic cloves

huerito chile

flour

black pepper

oregano

Lawry’s seasoning salt

garlic powder

tomato sauce

water

El Pato

Jack cheese

a dozen eggs

A big thank you to my crew…. we made it through the heat! 

Director: Mando Lopez and James Ford

Producer: Lacey Reilly

Director of Photography: Tony Molina

Editor: James Ford

Color Correction:  Eric Johnson

Set Design:  Linda Sena

Equipment: Paul Hopkins (Thx!)

Music: Anger Bros

Photos: Luz Gallardo

Make- up/Nails: Janine Presley

Necklace designed by: Lisa Rocha

My Mom took me over the Atlantic when I was a wee little one for a family adventure.  My 6 year old eyes explored Europe and my tongue was tickled with new flavors and foods.  I tried many things for the first time during that trip, but one of the foods that planted it’s memory deep within the walls of my cerebrum was the scone.

My first trip back to Great Britain  as an adult took a very different stance on eating and exploring.  I was there with the intention of picking up any and all tips on things I loved and how to re-create them back home.  The scone was my first attempt of bringing the United Kingdom tips I had learned to life.  I made them for the women in my family, they LOVED them with such insane enthusiasm, I started to experiment with the basic scone recipe and finally tried this Cranberry Corn version on my clan.  In short, this is the recipe they request over and over.  I only bring it out during the holidays as a little gift.  I make a big batch Christmas Eve to make sure I have something to leave out for Ol’ Saint Nick.  Pair it with a glass of cold or warm milk and fall in love.  This is the ultimate Santa treat and if you have any left over, enjoy them Christmas morning with a tall swig of milk while you open your gifts!

Since I’m on the topic of happiness and gift giving…. I would like to thank the MASTER OF THE GLASS HALF FULL for giving me one of the best gifts ever…. The words of positivity.  I’m going to jump over to his Facebook page and tell him how much I’ve appreciated all his optimistic expression.  Then I’m going to tweet him with mucho #postivismo and let him know I will carry positivity in my smile for the rest of my life and promise to always drink milk!

Ingredients for cranberry corn scones:

1 – cup flour

3/4 – cup medium grind yellow cornmeal

1/2 – tablespoon baking powder

1/4 – teaspoon baking soda

1/4 – teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 – cup sugar

1 – stick butter (cold, cut into 1 inch pieces)

1/2 – cup dried sweet cranberries

1/2 – cup buttermilk

Topping:

1/4 – cup sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and set to the side.

In a food processor combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.  Pulse till all dry ingredients are mixed well.

Then add in butter and give a few good pulses till butter looks like small peas.

Then transfer butter flour mixture into a large mixing bowl.  With a wooden spoon mix in cranberries.  Make a well in the center of mixture and pour in buttermilk.  Mix to combine.  There will be a little flour at the bottom of the bowl, the rest of the dough will be a little sticky.  Not to worry.  Let dough sit for 10 minutes.

Gently form dough into 2 inches in thickness balls by rolling in hand.  On wax paper lined cookie sheet drop dough balls two inches apart.   Then sprinkle each ball with 1 teaspoon of sugar.  Place in the oven and immediately lower temperature to 375.  Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden.  Let cool and enjoy!

*Disclosure: This is part of a sponsored campaign with the California Milk Processor’s Board and Latina Mom Bloggers. Story and opinions are my own.

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley