I think one of my favorite things to do after I travel is to try and take the things I learn from my trips and incorporate them into my life here.  On a small scale, I say "caoi" now to say bye, and I am definitely more keen to cheek kiss than before my trip to South America.  But in all different ways, I try to bring some of that culture into my little apartment in Chicago.

One way is to try and bake or cook recipes that are specific to the area you traveled.  In Argentina, there was no way you would visit and not try an Alfajores!  I've always loved baking, and one of my staples is to make caramel.  I didn't come across caramel often in South America, but dulce de leche was everywhere!  YUMMMM! An alfajores is two shortbread type cookies sandwiched together with dulce de leche!  So, I thought this would be fun to try.

Did you know- That you can make dulce de leche from a can of sweetened condensed milk?!  I takes soooooooo long but is so easy.  I couldn't believe it.  Honestly, you just boil a large pot of water.  Remove the label from the can and submerge it into the pot with tongs on its side.  Let the can boil for 3 hours!! WHAT!  Now it seems silly when you can just go buy a can at the store, but I kid you not, this tasted so much better.  Make sure to check on it and keep adding water- Never let the water level get below the top of the can.    After 3 hours, take it our and let it cool to room temperature  before opening.
Plus, it was a nice humidifier for my apartment in this dry winter :)

I scoured the internet trying to find an authentic recipe.  But of course, American sites all come up with their version.  But I found a baking blogger in Mexico city who made hers based off a cookbook of an Argentinian nun.  So, I mean, that seems legit.  I'm pretty sure I failed at converting grams to cups- well actually, I know I failed at least once because I made them twice and they came out different, but both times were tasty.  So, who knows.  But um, good luck with that!
Haha also, I used lemon zest instead of lime because that came up more in my research.  And I used bourbon because I didn't have brandy on hand.  Enjoy!!!
http://www.sweetcannela.com/recipes/desserts/alfajores/