Easter crafts and food

The clients who ordered my aluminum foil lunch box cakes for Easter received these bunny and egg motives that I made using fabric and felt. 

When making any cake recipe, you can pour the batter directly into the aluminum foil lunch box, no greasing necessary! Bake them and while the cake cools, decorate the covers using fabric and felt cutouts. Place them on top of the covers and glue them. To glue felt to fabric I use styrofoam glue and it works great! 

Also, for an Easter lunch I wanted to share this cute idea I got from Pottery Barn Kids. Fill clean terracota or glazed pots with any kind of dip, sprinkle seasoned salt or paprika on top, pepper and basil leaves. Top with carrots, celery or any other vegetables.  

Celebrating Valentine's in a lunch box

Besides cooking I also enjoy fabric crafts and card making. Here on this project I decorated the cover of an aluminum foil lunch box with fabric, lace and heart made with 4 layers of felt. Lately I've been adding crafted projects to my food items. The inspiration for the felt heart came from the blog Crafty Pod and the printable cards are from June Lily. 

Brownies, coffee cakes,  chocolate truffles... all go well in the lunch box

Cakes ready to be delivered 

Then the cover may turn into a card!

Or the lunch box into a keepsake!

Eggplant Antipasto Cake

The first time I made this recipe we had guests coming over and I realized I had no time for grocery shopping. So I came up with this cake using something I already had in the fridge: eggplant antipasto. With a few ingredients you can turn something that looks ordinary into something delightful and that will dazzle your guests.

The eggplant antipasto can be substituted with other toppings, like sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and oregano, roasted red peppers, etc. 

Eggplant Antipasto Cake

Batter

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup canola oil
1 egg
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Topping

10 oz (300 g - about 1 cup) antipasto eggplant (recipe here)
3 oz (100 g) of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C).

1) In a medium bowl combine milk, oil and egg until well blended. Add flour, baking powder and salt and whisk until smooth. Batter must be thick.

2) Spread the batter into a greased 11" x 2" round pie plate or pan. Top with the eggplant antipasto and  then the cheese. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Table set for Thanksgiving!

My Thanksgiving decor

A thankful heart is a joyful heart!

I have a confession to make, even though Thanksgiving is not celebrated in Brazil I am a huge fan of this holiday!

One encouragement for me when facing difficult times is to count the many blessings one by one... I am always surprised with little stuff that has made a difference in my day and I thank the Lord for so many things He has blessed me with.

I hope you too can count your blessings every day and enjoy the little things!

Pumpkin flower - bringing simple things to table decor

Baked Onion Dip

I first tried this dip at a good friend's house, then I started to make it here for my friends and they love it... The recipe was originally published on White on Rice couple, a blog where the authors share some sweet stories, good food and gorgeous photography.

Baked Sweet Onion Dip
1 8 oz (about 250g) package of cream cheese (very softened)
1 cup mayo
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup diced or chopped sweet onion.
1 tablespoon fresh cracked black pepper
Crusty bread or crackers

1) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, place the softened cream cheese. Make sure the cream cheese is very soft to allow all ingredients to blend evenly together.

2) Add mayo, parmesan cheese, onions and fresh cracked black pepper to soft cream cheese till everything is mixed thoroughly.

3) Place mixture in ramekins or any oven safe dishes. Bake slowly, for about 30-45 minutes until the top crust is brown, almost burnt looking then the dip is ready.

4) Serve with your favorite bread and crackers.

Strawberry jam

During strawberry season this is the kind of recipe you don't have to think twice about making it!

I love jams, but had never made strawberry jam before until I met Laurie at the MOPS Convention in  Orlando. We shared a room and also a delicious strawberry jam every morning for breakfast! So of course, I had to have her recipe! Thanks Laurie!

I did not use the pectin and still it tasted great, the lemon juice itself is a great source of pectin.

Strawberry jam

2 cups mashed berries

4 cups sugar

1 packet liquid pectin

2 tbsp lemon juice

1) Put the sugar into the mashed berries and mix it all in. Let it sit for 10 minutes. While waiting, stir the lemon juice into the pectin.

2) After the 10 minutes, stir the pectin/lemon juice into the strawberry/sugar and cook over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes until all the sugar is dissolved. Pour into jars until set (about a day) and then freeze.

Caipirinha, a Brazilian cocktail, with mango

Caipirinha with mango

The basic recipe to this famous Brazilian cocktail - Caipirinha - is limited solely to lime, sugar and "cachaça," a spirit made from the sugar cane juice, also known as Brazilian rum.

However, some people add fruits like mango, passion fruit, grape and strawberry and I think it is a nice twist to this popular drink.

To make the traditional caipirinha:
1 lime
1 shot cachaça (Brazilian rum but vodka will do)
1 tablespoon sugar
ice cubes

1) Quarter the limes crosswise and divide pieces between  two glasses.

2) Add sugar to each glass, muddle the lime slices with a wooden spoon until sugar is dissolved into the lime juice.

3) Fill each glass with ice and add 1 shot cachaça to each, stirring well.

Add any fruits you like like mango slices, strawberry, grapes, etc. But please note, this is optional.

My mom's 80th birthday

Celebrating my mom's birthday with a moist passion fruit cake, what a delight and what a blessing to have her as my mom!

Dressed for success, recycled glass bottles

On my kitchen window some glass bottles, like olive oil, wine and syrup bottles, are dressed for success. I create my own glass vases recycling old glass bottles and it is so much fun.

Coffee cups

Coffee cups, small ones, arranged in a bamboo tray ready for the women's small group that used to meet to chat and have a change in routine every week.

A basic and versatile risotto recipe with salt cod

Good friends, good times. Cooking for my family and friends... it is what I enjoy most! A good recipe for a get together? A risotto!

So Italian... I make risotto with starchy rices like arborio and carnarolli that result in a creamy and rich texture and these rices can be easily found in any grocery stores. Once you learn how to make the basic recipe for risotto, you can start playing around with ingredients you have in your kitchen like vegetables, mushrooms, aspargus, sun-dried tomatoes and meats, seafood, sausage, cheese, herbs etc.

The secret to making creamy risottos is to add the hot stock one ladleful at a time and cook slowly, stirring constantly, waiting until the liquid is almost completely absorbed before adding more. This way the stock gets absorbed and releases the arborio's starches.

 Sometimes I top the cooked risotto with grilled or sauteed shrimp. Since we eat a lot of rice here in Brazil and rice is stir-fried first, making a risotto is just like adding an elegant touch to everyday rice.

I like to use salt cod and desalt it in advance.


Salt cod risotto
2 cups arborio rice
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup white wine
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon canola oil
8 cups (2 liters) stock (vegetable, chicken, fish - I prefer vegetable stock)
1/2 teaspoon saffron powder

10 oz (300 g) salt cod (bacalhau), desalted and flaked

1 tablespoon butter

Toppings:
Fresh parsley or thyme
3 oz (90 g) Parmesan, freshly grated

1) Bring 8 cups of stock to a boil - keep it in a separate boiler.

2) In a large pan (or wok) with a heavy bottom, heat olive oil and canola oil over low heat and sauté onions until translucent, not brown. Then, add garlic stirring until it releases its flavor. Add rice and stir to toast  approx. 5 minutes. Once toasted, add white wine stirring with a wooden spoon until it is absorbed. Add saffron.

3)  Start adding stock one ladle at a time, wait for the rice to absorb the liquid before adding the next ladle, stirring constantly for about 15 to 20 minutes, then add the salt cod and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes. Add the butter. Stir to combine. Serve immediately with chopped parsley or thyme and grated parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

How to desalt salt cod and rehydrate it: Soak salt cod in cold water for 24 to 36 hours and change the water 6 times.

Shrimp risotto - just add shrimp instead of salt cod, or add both.

Dressing up leftovers

On Christmas Eve my family has a midnight supper every year. Before the meal we all form a circle, hold hands and each one of us tells what that year meant to us, then we say a prayer, hugs are exchanged and it is our thanks giving moment.

And on the next day we have leftovers for lunch... For this meal only the rice was fresh. I dressed up my plate with golden strings (egg noodles) that were previously trimming the turkey. The meat was pork tenderloin that my sister-in-law's mother cooked for us, also for the Christmas Eve supper. Traditionally Brazilians have pork for holiday meals.

The pork loin is so easy to make. Instead of baking in the oven, cook it! With the juices that come out you can make the gravy.

1 pork tenderloin (about 2 pounds)

Salt (use 1/2 tablespoon salt for each pound)

Freshly ground black pepper

1 small onion, cubed

3 cloves garlic

Juice of 1 lime or orange

2 tablespoons oil or extra virgin olive oil + 2 for cooking

2 cups water

For the gravy:

1 tablespoon each: catchup, mustard, soy sauce

1/4 cup prosecco or dry sparkling wine (champagne)
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup mushrooms

1) Season pork loin with salt and pepper, pepper, onion, garlic, lime/orange juice and 2 tablespoons oil or olive oil. Marinate for about 2 hours or overnight.

2) Place 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet or pan over medium-high heat. Add meat and brown it well on all sides, for about 6 minutes. Reduce heat, add 2 cups of water and simmer 20 to 30 minutes, adding more if needed.

3) Remove tenderloin to a platter. Stir in gravy ingredients to pan. Cook until sauce is slightly thickened, adjust seasoning. Serve meat with sauce spooned on top and rice as a side.

Green gift wrapping

Gift wrapping you can do yourself with old envelopes and help the environment... This idea to give a personal touch to my gifts I found on Martha Stewart website. A nice and green way to reuse the huge amount of envelopes I received and saved throughout the year. Also, I reused some old paper bags.

You can print the template here or just trace the lines of pine cones on a sheet of paper/old envelopes and cut them out. Punch some holes to add ornaments.

Turkey pot pie with cornbread crust

Did you know that pumpkin leaves and flowers are edible? And so are the stalks! I learned this when I was a little child and my parents had  pumpkin vines spread in the backyard. My mom used to fix delicious pumpkin omelettes with leaves and flowers all together.

Here is what I did with some leftover turkey, a pot pie! And as an accompaniment pumpkin leaves and stalks sautéed with olive oil, salt, garlic, onion, and pepper.

Turkey pot pie with cornbread crust

Filling:

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups turkey gravy or water
2 cups finely chopped roasted turkey
1/2 cup frozen sweet peas
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 cup corn kernels
1/2 tsp. salt
black pepper to taste

Crust - Cornbread
1 cup flour
1/2 cup white or yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

For the filling:
1) Preheat oven to 400° F (205° C). Spray a 2-quart casserole with cooking spray.

2) In a large sauce pan, heat butter and olive oil. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in  carrots and cook for 2 minutes. Add flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add turkey gravy or water and heat until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Stir in turkey, corn kernels, peas, black pepper and salt if using water. Pour mixture into casserole.

For the crust: In a bowl, stir cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, oregano, and salt. Stir in milk, egg and  oil until well combined. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients stirring until mixed. Spoon the batter evenly on the turkey filling. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 22 to 25 minutes.

Cupcake pin cushions, they even smell good

I made them! One of my hobbies... needles and fabric. Quick and easy, a few leftover fabric pieces, small and large yo yos, buttons, cupcake wrappers or individual muffin tins (I reused an old can of Duncan Hines blueberry muffin mix, but tuna cans will do), a few trimmings, stuffing, some potpourri, hot glue and voilá, my pins and needles have elegant pin cushions!

Mud hens

As soon as I saw the mud hen bars on Abby's blog, Confabulations in the Kitchen, I went straight to the kitchen  and it was love at first bite! My kids, who do not like nuts, ate mud hens and asked for more! Isn't it nice to find something you were missing out and you didn’t even know about?

Mud Hens

Abby's grandma recipe from her Old Church Cookbook

1/2 cup butter
1 Cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 and a 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup chopped nuts (I used Brazil nuts)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla

1) Preheat oven to 350ºF (180º C).
2) Sift dry ingredients.
3) Beat together 1 whole egg plus the yolk of the other. (Save the egg white for later in this recipe)
4) Cream butter and sugar together, add egg mixture. Blend in sifted dry ingredients and vanilla.
5) Spread the thick mixture about 1/3 in. thick in greased shallow baking pan such as a jelly roll pan.
6) Mix unbeaten egg white with brown sugar and nuts and spread as evenly as possible over the mixture.
7) Bake in preheated oven about 20 minutes or until done. Cut into squares while still warm.

Brown butter... and mashed potatoes

I was an  exchange student and today I was chatting with my AFS host mother on facebook and I mentioned that I could never tell whether she was making real or instant mashed potatoes. My host brother liked the instant one and I of course liked the homemade. Ginny's food tasted so good that she fooled both of us and it was impossible not to eat once or twice... I put on 26 pounds when I was an exchange student... The best way to adjust to a new culture is to jump... into the kitchen, don't you think?

Like the first time I saw a salad bar... I was amazed at the variety of food... it was right after I met my host family, coming back from the airport on the way to my new home. A salad bar over 20 years ago was just impossible to imagine having over here in my small Brazilian town... now it is so common.

So many stories... I hope my kids will build strong gastronomic memories the way I did, with my own family and with friends around the world.

This mashed potato recipe is very simple, it is the brown butter that makes it special.

Brown butter mashed potatoes

3 pounds (1.5 kg) potatoes, skin on and whole
1 cup milk (you can also use soy cream or half and half)
1 stick butter
1 small carrot, grated and cooked (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1) Put the potatoes and 1 tablespoon salt in a large saucepan and add water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes. Rinse with cold water and then peel. Return potatoes into empty pan and mash with a potato masher. Add cooked carrot.

2) Melt butter in a small saucepan. Let it foam once, cook over low heat until it begins to brown. Then take off the heat and add milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Pour over the potatoes and cook until desired consistency. Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish.

Two recipes

We celebrated our 15th anniversary on August 6th and when I looked at this picture I thought I'd share two recipes. Pumpkin compote (Doce de abóbora) and Fig compote (Doce de figo).

Compotes are very popular all over Brazil. Fruit compotes are made with pieces of fruits cooked on low heat in a thick syrup with spices, usually cloves and cinnamon sticks or even orange peels. You can smash the fruits at the end or not.

Serve compotes warm or chilled, with whipped cream or farmer's cheese. As you see they are easy to make and are very versatile.

Butternut squash compote
2 pounds (1kg) sweet butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into 1-inch cubes (2.5 cm)
2 cups white sugar

1 cinnamon stick
6-8 whole cloves
3 cups water


1) Over medium heat cook sugar in water with cinnamon sticks and cloves until it becomes a thick syrup.

2) Add the pumpkin cubes and cook until the squash is soft and tender, watch it as the pumpkin needs to be tender, but not breaking down into a mush. Serve warm or cold, plain, with whipped cream or soft cheeses, like farmer's cheese.


Green fig compote
2 pounds (1 kg) fresh green figs
2 cups sugar
3 cups water
6-8 whole cloves

1) Wash figs in warm water, lightly rub each one with a cloth. Cut into 4 wedges and let the edges attached. Boil in hot water for one minute.

2) Over medium heat, cook sugar in water with cloves until it becomes a thick syrup. Add figs and cook until they are soft. Serve with whipped cream or plain.

That old-time real kitchen...

The right place to have comfort food... I found this old time kitchen in a country inn when traveling with family. When my mom got married, 55 years ago, she had a kitchen with wood stove and she says it was not that fun... mainly when it rained, even though I find it so romantic. My mother-in-law's farm kitchen had a stove like that and we had such great conversations on cold Winter evenings.

Some of my friends built a wood stove in their outdoor kitchens and the best part is that you can have warm food all the time.

White, red and blue cake

This cake was posted here, and it brings me back good memories of my grandma... I am glad we lived closer and I was able to enjoy precious moments with her. Happy 4th!