Our Take on Pique Macho

As we mentioned previously, Pique Macho seems to be more of a generalized idea than a specific recipe. With that in mind, we took inspiration from the couple of different variations that we had and came up with our own take on it. First of all, we weren’t going to make the enormous portions that we found in Bolivia, so we scaled things down without cutting back on taste. At its core, it is comfort food. Simple, tasty, flavorful, and something that you can eat over and over again. We have to admit that, even though we’re obviously not Bolivian, our dish turned out to be pretty darn delicious. We decided to leave the seeds in since we didn’t have the spicy salsa that was normally served with the dish and it certainly added plenty of heat, but we like things spicy.  Feel free to give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.

Vegetables and Potatoes

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Partially Cooked Beef (Steak, Chuck Roast, or any other variety of beef) seasoned with salt, garlic powder, and black pepper
  • 2 Medium Potatoes – par-boiled and sliced into quarter-inch slices
  • 1 Medium Red Pepper – roughly chopped
  • 1/2 Yellow or White Onion – roughly chopped
  • 1 Jalapeno Pepper – sliced, seeds included or removed depending upon your preference
  • 1 Hot Dog – cut into half-inch pieces
  • 1 Tomato – cut into eighths
  • 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
  • Salt and Black Pepper to taste
Heat in Skillet

Instructions

Cook the beef and potatoes and let them cool.  Do not over cook them as they will be cooked further when combined with the rest of the ingredients.  In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and add the par-boiled potatoes.  After five minutes, add the red pepper and onions and continue to cook.  After another ten minutes, add the jalapeno pepper, hot dog, and beef.  Add salt and pepper and cook for another ten minutes, stirring constantly.  Serve on a plate with the tomato, seasoned with salt and pepper.  Serve with an ice-cold beer if desired :).  Serves two.

Add the Meat
Pique Macho – LivingTheQLife Style

 

Pisco Sour – Traditional South American Cocktail

When a friend of ours, who is a bartender, heard that we were going to be in Lima, Peru, he immediately told us that we absolutely had to try a Pisco Sour while we were there.  We had never heard of Pisco or a Pisco Sour, but we agreed that we would give it a try.  We weren’t disappointed.  Pisco is an alcohol that is distilled from grapes and is essentially a brandy.  Although we’ve had whiskey sours before, a Pisco Sour is similar in that it utilizes simple syrup and lime juice, but it doesn’t taste at all like a whiskey sour.  It basically tastes like a frothy lemonade, but don’t let its sweet taste fool you, it is a strong drink.  Just because Pisco is distilled from grapes, it isn’t wine, it is forty percent alcohol, or eighty proof.

Pouring a Pisco Sour
Light and Frothy
Our First Pisco Sours

One of the reasons that it is so light and airy is that an egg white is added and then it is shaken vigorously.  Some places use a blender, but the better Pisco Sours are made using a hand-shaker.  The dash of bitters at the end adds to the taste and the presentation.  We tried Pisco Sours while in both Lima, Cochabamba, and La Paz with varied results.  Ultimately the best Pisco Sour that we had was the first one we tried in Lima.  We bought a bottle of Pisco on our way home at the duty-free store in Lima and will be trying our own hands at making Pisco Sours here in the very near future.  If you ever get the chance to try them, you definitely should, they are delicious.

Dash of Bitters
An Elegant Drink

 

Spread Your Wings and Fly

We aren’t adrenaline junkies, but we definitely like to push our boundaries.  Every place that we visit provides an opportunity for adventure, but clearly our trip to Bolivia offered more than most of our trips.  It has been an exciting year so far with a trip to Iceland as well as Bolivia, so when we saw the Discover Challenge for this week was adventure, we knew that it was a perfect description of what we are hoping for this year.  This year it is our desire to expand our horizons and visit places that aren’t always on everyone’s travel radar.  Adventure to us is about putting yourself out there, living life to the fullest, and finding out about yourself by learning about the world you live in.  So we chose this picture of a butterfly from our hike through the jungle.

Beauty in the Heart of the Jungle