Brazilian Food Love

Kitchen shopping made easy

2009-01-27T16:04:00.000-08:00

Shopping online is fun but can also be a bit tiring if you keep looking for things but can't find the right place to buy what you want. Well let me tell you about a place you may or may not know about; ShopWiki. Their kitchen and dining department will help you find what you are looking for in an instant.

As a food lover I can stroll around in shops forever looking and dreaming about buying new things for my kitchen. At ShopWiki all stores are in one place making it easy to find exactly what you are looking for. I love baking so for me it is natural to look at the bakeware section.

Another fun thing to look at are kitchen gadgets. You can always find something fun and necessary to your kitchen there. And if you don't think it is necessary then buy it for the fun of it, with great price comparing you can find what you want at the right price. Just look at this fun little mini soda vending machine, perfect in a fun kitchen!

Shopping for kitchen stuff is definitely one of the best things I know and I'm glad it can be done online, more options and better prices!

Planning a trip to Brazil

2008-07-08T17:02:00.000-07:00

I recently wrote a post on my Swedish food blog about planning a trip to Brazil and thought I'd share it with you here as well. If you have any tips that you think should be included please do leave a comment.

When should I go? It is worth remembering that the seasons are opposite here so when it is winter in the US/Europe it is summer here. If you want really warm weather December is perfect. The rest of the year it is pretty mild. The more south you go in the winter the colder it gets. Winter starts around June 20.

Where should I go? I am not the best person to advice in this matter I'm afraid, but I can give you some general advice. If you long to go to beautiful beaches Florianópolis is a good choice. Guia Floripa will tell you everything about what to see and do in Florianópolis. Mind you it is in Portuguese but you might still find it interesting.

The more south you go the more reminders of European culture you will see. Brazil has a lot of European immigrants, especially in the south, and some parts only speak Polish or German.

A trip to Rio De Janeiro should of course be included (you can see the famous Copa Cabana walk to the left ) and if you are a fan of amusements parks you really should not miss Beto Carrero, one of the largest parks in the world. You will need about two days to go through the whole park.

More inspiration on where to go and where to stay I suggest checking out Lonely Planet and Virtual Tourist. There you can find almost any information you are looking for.

Where should I stay? Where to stay depends totally on how thick your wallet is or to say how much you can afford to spend. Trough Hotels Combined you can get hotel prises not only for Brazil but for the rest of the world as well. Just enter where you want to go and how much you are willing to spend and they will giver you the options and prices.

You can also find hostels but in smaller cities you may have to stay at a hotel instead. Or if you are staying for a longer period of time; why not rent a house? Unfurnished house prices starts at $150/month and up. The closer to the beach the more you will be asked to pay.
How much money will I need? It is never advised to go on a holiday and try to save money meanwhile. But if you are on limited funds it might help you to know that our monthly food bill is around $200 and includes fruit, meat and everything else needed for 2 adults and one child. For the rest it all depends on where you are staying and what you will do while here.

Can I bring and use my iPod/MP3/Laptop etc? As long as you can bring it into Brazil on legal terms you should be able to use them without problems. I advice you to buy an adapter before you go, Brazil has several different sockets.

The food: What do they eat in Brazil? That is a common question from tourists. When it comes to food there are some differences as well. The northern part use more spices and fruits in the food while the rest of Brazil normally keep to a more general diet not too different from the rest of the world. You will always see chili sauce on the table but it is optional and not very strong.

Visas: Contact your embassy or consulate for questions like these.

But I don't speak Portuguese? If you want to make yourself understood a crash course in Portuguese will probably be a good idea. Most Brazilians do not speak English, if you approach teenagers you might be lucky to hold a conversation in English.

Safety: Brazil is a wonderful country and people are very open minded and talkative. Though the general advice among Brazilians are to take everything with a pinch of salt and not believe everything you are told. Not that they lie, it's a cultural thing.

If someone wants to help you with your stuff be careful and attentive. If you do not know the person it is better not to let go of your things or leave them out of sight. Avoid walking by yourself at night and especially on deserted streets. Ask at the hotel which streets you should avoid. To wander into the slum is probably not a good idea!

As long as you use common knowledge and are attentive everything should be OK. I know I absolutely love Brazil and I'm sure you would too if you come here! :)

Have a great tip about Brazil? Share!

Click on the images to see more beautiful images from Brazil!

Potatoes, potatoes and more potatoes

2008-05-28T08:44:00.000-07:00

Marina Benjamim is from Brazil and 27 years old. From her father's side she had a dash of north Brazil and many brothers and sisters. From her mother's side, beyond a love for food and cook, she got her strong personality and charm of Rio de Janeiro.

She changed the sunny Rio de Janeiro for the grey London where she still trying to mix the flavours and colours of the Brazilian food in the land of fish and chips.

Two years ago I finally convinced myself that was time to learn English. I had tried many different courses in Brazil, but my impatient personality couldn't deal with months of “The book is on the table”.

I couldn't imagine myself spending more than a week in US, other countries like Australian sounded too far away and I couldn't stop thinking of myself only a 45 minutes flight from Paris so I decided that 6 months in London would be my best option.

Full of expectations and excitement I arrived in the Queen's land and completely fell in love. Yes the weather can be miserable, people aren't as friendly as I am used to, but what a city. London is absolutely gorgeous when sunny, I've made really good friends from all over the world (including English people even though finding them in London is unbelievable difficult), it is great being a short flight distance of "must see" places in Europe and I must admit I love pubs.

Experience a culture completely different to yours can be quite hard if you aren't open to understand and try it and I was determined to get into British culture all the same.

My second try (the first was a whole evening in a pub drinking enormous 568ml pints of beer which I can't tell much about because I have barely any memories from that night) was a trip to a supermarket.

A whole new world disclosed to me: different fishes, a whole range of can food, beans never seen before, a bacon that looks like an ham, kind of hams that look something that I couldn't have never guessed, all sort of eggs, every single dish to be microwaved. Although my biggest surprise came from one of the simplest ingredients: Potatoes. Even the smallest local mini market in the UK has at least 6 different sort of potatoes, in some places you can find more than 10 kinds for various purpose. I knew about the fish and chips but 10 was absolutely craziness for me.

Initially I couldn't believe that taste could vary, for God's sake they are potatoes, but after 2 years and many discussions drinking pints, I had to give in and admit that King Edwards is great to make chips and there is nothing like a farm fresh Nadine for a smooth and cream mash.

Blog contributors wanted

2008-04-23T12:44:00.001-07:00

Do you love to blog about food?

Brazilian Food Love is looking for contributors!

I do not have the time needed to post regularly myself but this blog receives a steady flow of traffic everyday and it would be a shame to let it go to waste, therefor I am now looking for blog contributors and guest bloggers!

What I am looking for:

One or two experienced bloggers with a passion for food. Experience in writing recipes is a must as well as fluency in English. Ability to post at least 1-3 posts per week. You also need to be willing to spread the word about BFL- the more exposure for the blog the better for you as well. SEO experience is good but not necessary.

Brazilian writers will have preference but is absolutely no requirement.

What you get:

This is the sad part for some- no money but you do get exposure. Brazilian Food Love receives a steady flow of daily traffic and has a high rank in Google searches. You will be presented on the blog as a contributor in which you can link to your blog(s). A link to your blog and introduction post will be available in the sidebar.

At the moment this blog does not have any kinds of income, however, should it start to receive a steady flow of income I will discuss payment with you. As freelance writer myself I do know how important it is to get the right exposure and to get paid for it.

You will also receive blogging guidance if needed.

Don't want to become a regular contributor but a Guest Blogger? That can also be arranged.

If interested please send an email to: brazilianfoodlove *@*gmail.com with subject: Blog Contributor or Guest Blogger

Remove the *. Please include a link to your current blog(s) as well as tell me how often you would be able to post.

Technorati Tags: blog contributors, blogger wanted, guest bloggers, brazilian food, food blogs

Fried cheese balls

2008-01-24T10:08:00.001-08:00

My mother in law gives me lots of fresh cheese every month. We rarely eat it all so I use it when I cook instead.Today I had an urge to make cheese balls and so I did. it turned out wonderfully! It's extremely easy to make and a prefect snack. Don' mind the calories though *lol*

Fried cheeseballs (makes 20)

2½ cup grated fresh white cheese (queijo mineiro)

1tbsp Cheddar soft cheese (or other flavor)

salt and pepper

chili sauce

garlic sauce/dressing

1 egg

bread crumbs mixed with flour

Mix the cheese in a blender, add chili sauce, garlic sauce and salt and pepper. Stir in the soft cheese, preferably work the cheese with your hands so that it becomes like a dough.

Use a teaspoon as measurement and shape into small balls. Beat the egg lightly, roll the cheese balls in it and roll in breadcrumbs. Fry until golden brown and serve immediately.

Parents fast food

2008-01-19T10:55:00.001-08:00

"Mom make rice pudding"

"Mom make pizza"

"Mom make.." and the list goes on.

Rice pudding is something my son has started to ask for a lot lately. The first time he asked my immediate thought was: "I can't make rice pudding just like that, it takes time to make rice pudding" Well my son is very demanding so of course I made it to please him. And I realized it doesn't take that long. For me rice pudding is one of those things you have to cook with a gentle hand. I learned from a friend that rice pudding is best if you stir constantly.

With little time for that and a hungry child near by you kind of skip that step. Improvise. That is the thing, to do. If you are in a hurry to make rice pudding you simply cook the rice in water first on high heat, when it is almost done you lower the heat and add some sugar, cinnamon and milk. Time to cook: No more than 15 minutes! During that time you only need to make sure your kid is occupied and wait.

Same thing with pizza. Make a quick dough without yeas and make pan pizza instead of in the oven.

This is what I call parents fast food. Do you have any Parents fast food recipe or tips to share?

Technorati Tags: parents, fast food, quick, kids, rice pudding, pizza

New year- new food

2008-01-04T12:18:00.001-08:00

I don't like to make promises that I won't be able to keep so I am not going to promise anything on this blog. Or any other blog for that matter :)

But I do have some thoughts and that is that this year I will cook more than last year and blog about it. The year has just begun but I think I will have more time to cook and blog than last year. At least that is what I would like to.

I started with "Double Chocolate Chip Cookies" today, first time ever I made them but they didn't turn out right. Instead of cookies I had melted dough after I took it out of the oven. So I will have to find a better recipe for "DCCC" and then I can share the recipe.

I wish you all a Happy New year!

Do you want a cookie with that?

2007-11-19T08:35:00.001-08:00

Talking about coffee I have to ask: Do you want a cookie with that? I like to eat something sweet when I drink my afternoon coffee so a little cookie or a piece of cake is never wrong.

I don’t make cookies very often actually. I make lots of cakes but not cookies. It’s quicker to make a cake than cookies I think.

I really like chocolate chip cookies and the last time I made cookies it was just chocolate chip cookies but a Brazilian version with some extra ingredients. They didn’t come out perfect though so I think I’ll have to make them again soon to post the recipe for you. *lol* Chocolate chip cookies aren’t too common here so it’s better to make your own ones.

Now when Christmas comes I will have to prepare myself for some cookie making and baking though. But since it’s for Christmas I don’t mind.

If you don’t like to make your own cookies but prefer to buy them you can buy award winning all natural gourmet cookies from the San Francisco Cookie Company! You could even buy cookies as a gift and give to someone for Christmas. Now that is an idea I liked. You can send a dozen cookies per month to someone who deserves a special treat. (If I were you I’d send them to myself but keep quiet about it).

But come to think about it; cookies are delicious with milk. Do you prefer you cookie with milk, coffee, tea or something else?

Technorati Tags: cookies, chocolate chips cookies, San Fransisco, holiday cookies, cakes

The best coffee comes from Brazil, right?

2007-11-19T08:08:00.001-08:00

Well yes and no. I'm no coffee expert but I know how to appreciate a good cup of fresh brew and I believe I have had som much coffee in my days that I know a good coffee when I try it.

Most people believe that the best coffee comes from Brazil. Or that is if you live in Brazil you only drink the best coffee. Boy you couldn't be more wrong!

The coffee that is exported may be one of the best coffees in the world but the coffee the Brazilians drink… is ~~horrible!~~ Not the same as European coffee...

When I arrived to Brazil I bought several new coffees every month before I could find one I really liked. The coffee here is very bitter and I understand why they add more sugar than coffee to their brews. Well now after a few years I know what coffee to buy and which ones to avoid. These coffees are drinkable:

3 coraçoes – three hearts

Café Pilao

Café do Ponto – this one is exported and is double the price compared to “normal” coffee.

Café Tradiçional Melitta- you know the Melitta filters right? They make coffee as well.

Local coffees are often more bitter and has a strong after taste, but if you go to Brazil I would recommend the above coffees. Then you won’t have to spend time on trying out coffees. Do keep in mind that Brazilian coffee (that you drink at someone’s house) is normally sweetened but if you go to a bar or coffee shops you will be able to add sugar to taste. It is very unusual that they drink black coffee. I only drink black coffee without sugar and I get very surprised looks every time I ask for it.

What’s your favorite coffee?

Technorati Tags: Coffee, Brazil, Brazilian food, Brazilian cooking, Brazilian coffee

A Christmas without chocolate?

2007-11-08T08:59:00.001-08:00

A Christmas without chocolate? I don't think so! For me eating chocolate during Christmas is unthinkable, it's like Easter without Easter eggs. OK almost.

If you don’t know what to give then chocolate hampers are a perfect gift! It never goes wrong. I have never seen anyone getting sad for receiving chocolate that’s for sure.

As Christmas is approaching so quickly now in November I have started to worry about advent calendars. My son is 4 now and surely it’s time for him to get his first advent calendar. I just can’t decide on chocolate or Lego. First choice would be chocolate as I love the calendars myself. He would probably want to eat everything the same day though.

I live far from my family so I have to send things to them as I can’t give them in person. That’s why it’s good you can send chocolates by post, that makes it possible to give without being there.

I am a complete chocolate lover so I would be very happy if I only receive chocolate gifts for Christmas. OK, I will eat the chocolate but if it is good chocolate I will never forget it. In fact I still remember a delicious coffee chocolate that I was given when I was 11 years old and can until today still feel the taste. So chocolate eating is an experience you will not soon forget.

Now talking about it I have to go and eat some… Would you be happy if you got chocolate for Christmas?

Technorati Tags: chocolate, chocolate hampers, chocoalte gifts, christmas gifts, sending chocolate by post

Christmas is coming!

2007-11-06T09:12:00.001-08:00

Oh dear, time flies and oops it's almost Christmas! OK still another 7 weeks to go, but before we know it we will be wrapping gifts and finishing off our wishlists.

Of course the planning has already begun in many houselholds. It hasn't begun here yet tough. I'm still trying to control myself. The only thing I do know is that there will be marinated salmon, gravad lax,on my table this year. It's oh so expensive but oh so good so I can't possibly not buy it.

Have you started planning your Christmas food yet?

Technorati Tags: Christmas gifts, food, recipes, dinner, salmon, lax

Hot and peppery

2007-10-22T08:03:00.000-07:00

If I had to chose between all the spices that exists and only use that for the rest of my life I would no doubt chose black pepper. I love black pepper! And even better is the combination black pepper and pink pepper.

I have a coffee grinder where I grind my own pepper mix. The perfect combination is a little bit of white pepper, some more pink pepper and lots of black pepper. That is the ultimate seasoning!

I use black pepper on almost everything! I add it to almost every dish and even sweets. My favorite fruit salad contains black pepper and oranges.
Try it and see for yourself how good it is;

Simple fruit salad with black pepper
Oranges
Cheese, use ricotta or other fresh cheese that is not too salty
black pepper
(salt)

Peel and chop the oranges, dice the cheese, add pepper and salt to taste.
Enjoy.

See how simple it is. Of course you can add apple and other fruit as well. This combination is also very nice with red onion. Of course then it´s not going towards sweet but more salty.

What seasoning could you never live without?

This post belong to Brazilian Food Love, if you see it elsewhere please tell Linda.

How did you learn to cook?

2007-10-17T10:15:00.001-07:00

Many of my friends often say " I´m not as good at cooking as you are". And I always say: Everybody can cook.

Because I truly believe it´s something most of us can do. All we need to do is practise. When I was a child I had no idea how to cook, in my teens my mother was very hestiant at letting me cook. She thought I made a mess only eventhough I would clean everything afterwards.

I´m not a great cook, I just like to improvise and letting my fantasy and teste buds take over. But I am far from being as creative as many chefs or hobby chefs. Or at elast I think so. I am probably more creative than I think.

How did I learn how to cook? I got married. Haha. It´s actually true, after I got married I discovered I had a great interest in cooking and I needed to do it everyday.

How did you learn how to cook or do you think that some people are just not meant to cook?

Technorati Tags: cooking, learning to cook, a good chef, creative

What will the food be like?

2007-10-01T08:01:00.001-07:00

What will the food be like?

That is a normal and very common question when you go abroad. But strange as it seems it´s never anything that has worried me. I have never thought too much about it.

When I traveled in Thailand for 6months it was a slight problem, I don´t like noodles, I don’t eat spicy food and I hate curry. So basically you could say I don´t like Thai food. But actually I do. I learned to find other kinds of food that I enjoyed. I learned how to say “fried chicken with cashew nuts". That was my favorite food when I traveled in Thailand. The way they prepare the food varies, in the south they do it one way and in the north they do it another way. I like all ways, as long as the cashew nuts are included. *lol*

And it´s the same here in Brazil of course. We in the south don´t eat the same food as they do in the north. In the north the food is more "picante" - spicy then it´s here. Or at least that’s what I’ve heard. I have never been to the north but the culinary experience is supposed to be special there.

So what will the food be like? Well that is an impossible wquestion to answer but you will surely find something you like. You can expect a lot of rice tha´s for sure. *lol*

Technorati Tags: food, thai food, brazilian food, cashew nuts, rice

Jabuticaba cooking

2007-09-11T09:29:00.001-07:00

My mother in law called me on Saturday and told me that there were lots of Jabuticabas on her mother in laws jabuticaba tree. I had already told her that I wanted some so I told my husband that we needed to go there immediately.

Jabuticaba is like a big blue colored berry that grown along the tree branches. Inside it is white and got tiny kernels. Those you either spit out or squeeze out.
We got to my husbands granny and my husband climbed the tree and started picking the jabuticabas. He picked 4 plastic bags. One being really big. I ended up with almost 3.

When I came home I rinsed them all in the sink and started to think about how I would store them. All my bowls were too small so I went and got the biggest bowl I had.

I am not sure how big this bowl is but it´s huge, probably 20 liters or so. The Jabuticabas are really big so I figure I had about 10 liters in the bowl. Here you can see the differnce between my big one and a normal little bowl.

My mission was to make squash and jelly from it. I have made 2 liters of squash so far. Burned one load of jelly and managed to make one load of jelly into syrup.
So it’s going pretty good. *lol*

The syrup will be for ice cream or yogurt, it´s very sweet. And todays mission is to make Liquor de Jabuticaba, a sweet tasting liquor with Cachaça – sugarcane rum.
I haven’t started on that yet so I can´t tell you how it´s coming on. But hopefully it will be good. And I still have about 4 liters of Jabuticabas left that I need to take care of today so I think I will make more squash as that seems to be the easiest.

London dear London

2007-08-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

I´ve lived in London twice. The first time I stayed for eight months and the second time for almost 6 years. Every day there are people from all over the world who comes to London to try a new life. Many end up staying, you kind of get drawn into the busy life and you usually end up liking the hectic lifestyle that comes along with it.

I love London but I´m not sure I would like to move back and work there. A holiday would be nice though. There are loads of things to do in London of course, and if you are a gourmet you can find several nice places to indulge at.
If you have never been to London but are going this is what I´d recommend you to do;

First you need to find a hotel, Cheaper than hotels.UK have got many hotels in London for you to choose from at a good price.
When you are ready to hit town you should start with a relaxing walk in one of the many parks.
I particularly like Regent´s Park that is close to Primrose Hill. Primrose Hill is a wonderful little "village" with some very nice cafe´s where you might spot famous actors if you keep your eyes open. If you have kids they might like to go to the Zoo. Perfect for a quick coffee while you make your way up to Hampstead Heath and it´s surroundings for lunch.

After all that walking you might be a bit tired so go back to your hotel room and rest for half and hour or so and then get ready for some nightlife.
There are plenty of good restaurants around and their is something for every wallet as well. If you really want to visit Gordon Ramseys or a similar famous restaurant it can be good to book a few weeks in advance as it tends to be fully reserved most of the time if not all.
if you need help finding a pub or a club check Time Out London.

Of course you should include a trip to the London Eye and Trafalgar Square. If you are staying in the center there is no need to worry you will miss Piccadilly.
Cheese lovers should visit La Fromagerie which is just off Marylebone High street, close to Baker Street. See you can visit Sherlock Holmes and still get some cheese. La Fromagerie offers high quality cheese, absolutely worth a visit.

I love musicals so I would definitely go and see a show!

But why stop in London if you are going to England? Why not reserve a hotel room in Manchester and see what the rest of England has to offer. Once again, you can easily find Hotels in Manchester where you can have a pleasant stay at an affordable price.

I stayed in London too long and got caught in the working wheel so I didn´t take advantage of the country as I should have. If I would go there again, or maybe i should say when I will go again, I will try and get out and see places I didn´t see.

Cheaper than hotels have got hotels in Birmingham as well as many other places in the UK. A good choice if you want to spend your money on something sweeter. I would rather spend it on food and fun than accommodation, that´s for sure!

If I can help with any London questions, please ask. Or maybe you have got some recommendations yourself that you would like to add? Go ahead!

Hey Linda aren´t you cooking?

2007-08-23T13:19:00.000-07:00

Of course I am!
It feels as if I am eating more than ever, I just haven´t had the time to write about it.
I have a yummy cupcake recipe coming up as well as a recipe for Pão de queijo, cheese bread.

Seriously I have sooooo many recipes that I want to share with you, I just need to write them down...

Well who ever waits for something good can wait a bit longer... OK I know that is freely translated from Swedish " Den som väntar på något gott". :)

Perfect for my cup!

2007-08-01T08:13:00.000-07:00

I came across a very smart invention surfing through some blogs.
Cupcoats!

??? Yes Cupcoats!

Cupcoats are an eco-chic alternative to the cardboard sleeves typically used on paper cups to insulate your hands from your hot beverage. Instead of cardboard or 'double-cupping', add a dash of fashion to your hot coffee and tea experience with a Cupcoat by Cup Couture.

How cool isn´t that? I loved it!
How many times haven´t you burned your hands while holding a warm paper cup? If I had a Starbucks near me I would buy one of these little things and bring with me every time I bought a coffee. *lol*

And they come in different colors as well! I´m sure you can find one for you!
Angelina is my choice:

Angelina

Classy and sophisticated, the Angelina Cupcoat looks great no matter where you go. Hot pink, lime green, deep red accents on black and white. Black lining.

Photo from Cup Couture.

Too bad there is no Starbucks here...

Btw: Did you notice that I have joined the Foodie Blogroll? To find out more, check out the sidebar! A list full of great foodie blogs!

This post belong on Brazilian Food Love, if you see it else where please tell Linda.

Kitchen accidents

2007-07-30T06:01:00.000-07:00

If you have never cut yourself in the kitchen you are either very lucky or you don´t spend too much time in there.

I rarely cut myself but of course it does happen. The other day I was grating marzipan, I was making cinnamon buns with marzipan, and I managed to cut my wrist.
It hurt so much, and now 3 days later it still hurts and every time I lean on my wrist there is the painful reminder that I have to go and buy myself a new grater.

You see, the reason I cut myself was because I used a small grater that you just hold in your hand. That´s because I´m a cheapskate and didn´t want to spend the money to buy a proper grater that won´t fall apart after using it a few times.

Here in Brazil it´s not always easy to find good kitchen stuff. That includes a stainless grater at a good price. So when I found this little pink grater I thought that it was incredibly cute and of course it was cheap.

Obviously now after this incident I have decided to invest in a good stainless grater, no matter the cost. And the little beautiful pink grater? I´ll throw that as far as I possibly can!

This post belong on Brazilian Food Love, if you see it somewhere else, please tell me!

Menu Plan Monday July 23rd

2007-07-23T06:09:00.000-07:00

This is the first time I participate in Menu Plan Monday.
Menu plan Monday is a theme that is held every Monday over at Laura´s.

We are on a budget this week so this week there are no extravaganzas at all on our table. Simple, healthy and cheap food. I am cleaning out my cupboards this week! So I am only cooking what I have at home.

Monday: Simple Tomato Soup w meat and Cheese bread, Pão de Queijo. * Recipe coming up*
Tuesday: Black bean burgers with basil risotto and fried cauliflower.
Wednesday: Rice and steak with mushroom sauce.
Thursday: Minestrone soup á la Linda
Friday: Lanche - Typical Brazilian hamburgers without the hamburgers but with sausages.
Saturday: Leftovers
Sunday: Lunch at my MIL, dinner- leftovers.

Minestrone soup á la Linda: No exact measurements as it depends on how many portions you want to make.

You need:
Onions
Garlic
Water
Herbs such as basil, thyme and salvia
Tomato puré
Paprika spice
Pasta

Quickly fry the onion and the garlic.
Add the remaining ingredients except the pasta, put it to the boil. Lower the heat and let simmer for another 20 minutes. Add the pasta. When the pasta is cooked, serve the soup with bread.

Simple, or simple??

Tags:menu plan monday, minestroni soup, brazilian, cheese bread

Lazy Cooking

2007-07-13T07:02:00.001-07:00

OK I admit, I am lazy in the kitchen. But that is not due to laziness such as I don´t like to cook. But due to the fact that I haven´t got much time to stand in the kitchen. Before I had a lot of time but now, time is limited.

My husband like simple cooking so I think that is a great help. He is happy with eating only rice and meat while I want some kind of sauce or something to go with the meat. See that is a different between Europe and Brazil, they don´t serve sauces. So what I do is that I buy small soup envelopes and make sauce out of that. Easy and quick.

Another thing to help me on the way, or any stressed mother, is to make lots of food one day and not to be afraid to serve it two days in a row. As long as you make sure you have something different for lunch that should be OK. If you want to improve it you can add a sauce or make a different salad.

When you have kids and family you really can´t be that fuzzy all the time.

If my economy permits I buy a few easy snacks and put in the freezer. So some days we have only chicken nuggets and fried potato and salad, some days a take away pizza. Do I feel bad about this? Well yes and well no, there are other things that are ore important sometimes. So you have to make the most out of the situation.

Lazy cooking isn´t that bad actually, it can be really tasty. You just can´t do it too often or it will get boring.

Are you a lazy cook?

Technorati Tags: lazy cooking, cooking, kitchen experiences

Cooking with kids at home

2007-07-10T14:47:00.000-07:00

I am at home with my 3 year old son at the moment. He is on school holiday until Thursday next week.

He is slowly but surely driving me insane, no question. But I love him to bits of course so I really shouldn´t complain. Every day, not only now when he is on holiday, I struggle to make dinner without feeling stressed.

Having someone calling you the whole time doesn´t really give you much pleasure cooking. I always try different things like giving him a snack or try and make him play with something. usually it fails. He keeps calling me and it is amazing that while I am writing this he hasn´t called me once. So really I should go and cut my chicken now.

We are having fried chicken with rice for dinner. It´s not something we eat very often as it´s fat. But once in a while...

If you have kids at home, what do you do to keep them busy while cooking? And don´t tell me that they are helping you... :)

A sweet tooth

2007-07-06T05:48:00.001-07:00

I love sweets. Well actually I don´t like cakes that are too sweets.
But I love cakes!
I am always on a mission to make healthy cakes though. I want to cut the sugar but still make sure that it´s sweet. That means that my husband, who is Brazilian and used to sweet cakes, doesn´t think it´s sweet enough.

The Brazilian candy is extremely sweet. For me that is. I haven´t been able to find a favorite candy actually. I like some of the cakes they have but the candy.. no. Nothing special at all.

In Sweden we have Pick ´n Mix. I love that! That is something Brazil should have as well. in my Pick ´n Mix bag there is always salty licorice and chocolate. The Swedish milk chocolate is like no other. A perfect mixture of milk and chocolate.

The chocolate in Brazil is weaker, the chocolate taste is not as strong.

I have sweet tooth but it has to be sweet without taking away the flavor of the candy itself.

How do you like your sweets? Do you have a favorite candy?

Updates

2007-07-06T05:16:00.000-07:00

It´s funny, I don´t even update this blog very often and yet there is a handful of people that comes here everyday.

That makes me very glad of course!
When you realize that you have readers you get a kick to continue and of course it´s the same for me.

So what will happen here in the near future? Well you can be prepared to get lots of food talk, foodbloggie talk, reviews and an insight in daily Brazilian life.

Thanks for stopping by! See you soon!

Abacate

2007-07-04T12:14:00.000-07:00

I love avocado. It´s a wonderful fruit, yes it is a fruit actually, and you can use it in so many different ways.
I usually just use it in salads but you can make just about anything from it.

For more tips on how to use avocados and to see what nutrients it contains read more over at Daily Power Walk and Avocado, a versatile fruit.

How do you like your avocados?

Menu Planning

2007-07-03T14:50:00.001-07:00

I was almost scared away from the splog thing that´s happened around the internet but I am not giving up :)

Menu planning is something that I am quite good at if I may say so myself. When I plan I plan for real. I usually plan for a whole month actually. I have certain steps that I use;

* Check all cupboards before - list everything!

* From that list see what you can make from your ingredients and what you need to buy.

This will save you money and you will know exactly what to eat/prepare for a whole month! Excellent if you want to save money.

I really should start making menu plans again. It´s been a while.

BBQ Chicken

2007-06-15T08:43:00.000-07:00

I told you about the BBQ spare ribs that I made the other week. Well my taste buds have been longing for something like that again. Yesterday I wasn´t sure what I should make for dinner and then I decided: why not make BBQ chicken!?!

Once again; a quick search on the internet to compare the recipes in my head to reality and I was off. I basically used the same marinade as I did when I made the spare ribs.

I prefer healthy food to fat food so there was no oil in this marinade either.
That is what I like about oven baked food. You just wrap some foil around it, pop it in the oven and that´s it! Then you can leave you chicken there for some time and go back later to unfold the foil and wait for it to reach that nice brown golden color.

You eat with your eyes as well you know.

The chicken turned out great and I shall be making it again soon that´s for sure!
So if you have never oven baked a BBQ chicken, then try, it´s a delicious and simple dinner!

Amendoim doce com canela

2007-06-08T12:28:00.000-07:00

It´s quite cold in our parts of Brazil at the moment. It´s winter and that will go on for another 3 months at least.
The houses in Brazil aren´t insulated so it´s very cold inside.

One day I was freezing so much and I got tired of it and decided to make Amedoim Doce.
Candied peanuts.
You can buy candied peanuts everywhere in Brazil. It´s sold on the street and it´s perfect on a cold day.

It´s very easy to make yourself all you need is peanuts and sugar.
I decided to add cinnamon as well as I am a cinnamon fan.

Amendoim Doce com canela

Peanuts
Sugar
Cinnamon or other spice (cardamon is my list for next time)

For 100g peanuts add 100g sugar. If you think it´s not enough, add more. Stirring is the thing here, you have to stir all the time. When the sugar becomes brown, don´t turn off the stove. Continue stirring for another few minutes until you see the the peanuts are really covered with sugar.

Take off the heat and put on a slightly oiled plate. Let it cool and enjoy.

See isn´t that easy?

Disclosure Policy

2007-06-08T12:16:00.000-07:00

This policy is valid from 8 June 2007
This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact Linda.
This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content.
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This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.
To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

Hawaii and pineapples

2007-06-07T10:21:00.000-07:00

Exotic food and relaxation, that´s what it´s about when you go on a holiday.
I especially like the food part. If the food is not good, then my holiday won´t be either.
I have always found it fascinating to explore new food and one place that has something I like is Hawaii. I like pineapples.
Is there anything more Hawaiian than pineapples and the beautiful flowers?

But you have to live well as well when you go on a holiday. If you have a look at Hawaii travel packages then you will see that there is a lot more to Hawaii then pineapple.

I would like to stay at the Paia Beach House and enjoy my exotic flavored drinks from there.
The house comes with a full kitchen, necessary for a food lover I think.

But what I mostly like is that it is eco tourism friendly. You can rely on that you get quality food and that the environment is looked after.
The local communities benefits from the tourism which I think is really important. Natural resources are use at the hotels not putting too much strain on the nature.

So for eco friendly Hawaii travel packages holiday, visit Hawaiian Beach Rentals.

Aloha!

Spare ribs Southern style

2007-06-01T07:12:00.000-07:00

The other day I realized that I hadn't eaten spare ribs for years and thought it was baout time to change that.
So i went to the butcher and bougth some. I asked for him not to separate them as I wanted to bake them all in the oven. I had no idea on how to make them or a recipe for a marinade.
So after searching around I saw that the main ingredients for a souther style BBQ ribs were: Tomato puré, onions, garlic and vinegar.

So what I did was that I crushed some garlic, added salt, blackpepper, vinegar and tomato puré.
I wrapped the ribs in foil, let it bake for about 30 min or so, honestly don't remember. Unfolded the foil, and added the marinade. And let it bake for another 30 min or so until it was all ready.

I served it with rice and it was absolutely delicious!
I can't wait to do it again. And it was so easy!

Competition time!

2007-05-19T12:46:00.001-07:00

If you want to win a beautiful header for your blog or $20 to spend on a cookbook from Amazon.com or perhaps a goodie box filled with Brazilian goodies, then come over to Mama's Coffee Corner or RS Design.

We are having a little contest and it's really easy to participate!

A fishy dish

2007-05-19T12:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I didn't know what to make for dinner and came to think about the fish that was temporarily stored in my Mother In Law's freezer.
Unfortunately we haven't got a big freezer so we have to leave meat and other stuff there for long term storage.

Let me come clean with one thing; I don't know how to prepare fish!
I never liked it when I was a kid but now I am really trying to like it and guess I can say that I actually like it now. Of course it depends on how it's prepared.

My husband enjoys eating fish and I want us to start eating it more regularely, it's healthy and a good choice instead of red meat.
Anyway, I called my MIL told her to take out the fish from the freezer and a few hours later I went to get it. She got terrified knowing that it was for the same day.
-But you can't eat it today! It won't be good!

I said that of course it would and went home. Started thinking, what if she's right. Maybe it will be better leaving the fish over night. But as I didn't have anything else at home to eat I pushed the thoughts aside and started preparing my fish.
My MIL also asked me if my husband was going to clean the fish, what husband? If I wait for him we won't have dinner until midnight! My MIL got very worried and I could tell she thought that I wasn't capable of cleaning the fish myself.

Actually everything went really well! I cleaned the fish, no big deal at all. I chopped up some olives, crushed garlic and added some salt to the "farinha de milho"- that is a kind of flour that is used here in Brazil made from corn. Very nice! I mixed everything, chopped up some chili's and quickly boiled them for a minute.

Stuffed the fish and put it in the oven!
Easy!

Anyone said I don't know how to prepare fish? Well I later found a great site, in Swedish, about fish and I shall be making more fish soon!

Tags:fish recipes dinner

Fruity breakfast

2007-04-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

This is part of the breakfast I made this morning for the Swedish kind of Paper Chef, Cyberkocken. Ilva from Lucullian Delights is holding it this month it's also her creation and it's now been one year since she started it. It's been a success among swedish food bloggers and the variety of food has been very nice.

I went for breakfast this time, we all need to start our day with something good in our stomach so..
One of the things I presented was Sharon fruit and grapes with basil sugar and sesame seeds.

It's very simple:
Dice the Sharon fruit and cut the grapes inhalf. Mix sugar with fresh basil, 3table spoons of sugar and 5 basil leaves. Add to the fruit and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
Enjoy.

Wine for the enthusiast

2007-04-28T19:19:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you that I am more a wine enthusiast then a beer enthusiast. I enjoy a nice glass of chilled fruity white wine. I don’t drink it very often but when I do I want to make sure that I am drinking a nice wine worth my money.

Good discounts is always good when you buy wine, especially wine enthusiast gift. You don’t want the wine to be too cheap and you also don’t want to spend a fortune. So you need to stay somewhere in the middle. Shopping online sometimes means better deals.

If you are a wine enthusiast you might have seen that the Coupon Heaven offers $25 off if you have a wine enthusiast coupon code . These coupons are very rare so enjoy them while you can!

The world is full of nice wine, you only need to find them and add them to your favorite list of wines. My list is quite small so far but I am increasing it as I try out new ones. For me the perfect wine is white, dry, fruity and slightly sparkling without being too bubbly.

Mmm… I have to say this makes me want to have a glass of wine…

A weight loss success story

2007-04-20T15:54:00.001-07:00

If you are interested in reading about successful weight loss then head over to Daily Power Walk to read more!

Jennette lost half of her weight.

That is impressing I think!

Technorati Tags: weight loss, success story

Coffee jam

2007-04-18T18:17:00.000-07:00

Well I’m not sure if it’s jam exactly, it’s to go with meat. But it is sweet. *I am so good at riming*

When I saw this in the supermarket last year I almost went to heaven. I love these kinds of things. I love to find new ingredients to try out.
I live to cook I think actually.

The “jam” itself is a bit sweet and the coffee flavour is not very strong. But it is very nice and goes with most kinds of meat and dishes actually. My son enjoyed it very much, he was the one who finished it. There are other nice different flavours as well as cachaça (sugarcane rum) and other typical Brazilian flavour which I can’t remember at this moment.

But I will buy some more and tell you then.
Brazil is full of different flavours and food I didn’t even have a clue existed.
And it is so cool that it’s the same thing all over the world. There will always be new flavours and dishes to try out.

Isn’t it great to cook?

I am sorry

2007-04-05T13:29:00.000-07:00

Really I am, it´s been almost a month since I wrote anything here!

Well I promise that I will try and make up for lost time.
Thing is I´ve been really ill lately with sinuses and colds and now I´ve even got a tooth ache! Seems like there is alway something going on.
I´ve been a bit busy as well writing for Daily Power Walk.

The last months has been a bit diffulcult as well becuase of money. I haven´t had any ingredients in my kitchen, some of my imported spices got eaten by ´bichos´, small terrible little animal. So I had to throw everything away.
It was a sad moment!

Anyway, now when I´ve finally got food in my cupboards again my inspiration to cook has come back and now I will cook a lot!
I have plenty of recipes lying around and will gladly share them with you.

I´ll be back soon!

Farcellet d'herbes aromatiques

2007-03-11T12:27:00.000-07:00

Actually I learned that this is Catalan, not French as I thought it was first.
I receieved some wonderful parcels last year and in one of them from my friend Monica in Spain were these beautiful herb parcels.

They are quite common in Spain as I understand, but I have never seen them before. I love the idea of different spices together wrapped in another spice. Exactly what herbs it contains is actually a secret but I think sage, thyme etc is hidden in there.
It has a wonderful smell.

I have actually not tried it yet, you are suppose to use it when you make stews which I haven't made for some time. But I'm getting so curious now that I will have to make it someday soon.

If anyone is familiar with these beauties, please tell me.

Interviewed

2007-03-11T12:24:00.000-07:00

Blog Party!

2007-03-03T07:29:00.000-08:00

There is a blog party going on at Making A Happy Life.
Everyone is welcome!

Meanwhile enjoy what is o here, more recipies to come soon!

The right utensils

2007-02-26T09:58:00.001-08:00

I've said it several times to people; the better cooking utensils you have the easier it is to cook! And it usually goes much smoother as well.
I like easy and quick.That's my motto when I cook.

So I always look for new kitchen utensils and anything that can make my life easier in the kitchen. And sometimes I do find what I am looking for.

Unfortuantely where I live there aren't many big kitchen stores around so then I dream myself away on the internet. And Oh did I find what I was looking for at Instawares!

They have everything you could possibly imagine!

Everyone knows I have a sweet tooth and I am always on the lookout for new things to get me inspired. Actually I haven't got a small baking pan and I will have to buy one soon. It's on my list of "things I need for the kitchen". And I could make my list longer!

Cutters..molds, pans... it's best to stop actually...

I would really like a flour sifter......

Valentines Days Goodies

2007-02-12T08:03:00.000-08:00

We are all looking forward to the 14th February. It’s the day that we show our loved ones we appreciate and love them.
Of course we show them our love by buying teddy bears, love cards and chocolate.

Get your valentine something different this year.
Show you Valentine you really care about him/her.

Why not make a beautiful hamper full of goodies. Natural and nutritious goodies that is.
Go to a good and well sorted health store and ask for some advice.

Suggested goodies are; dried fruit (yes it contains sugar but it’s still better than sweet unnutritious chocolate), various kinds of nuts, vitamin supplement, a nice relaxing tea, aloe Vera juice drink, healthy cooking ingredients.
Make sure to find out is your Valentine suffers from any allergies. You don’t want to be ruining your night.

If the healthy snack idea isn’t your cup of tea then why not go for something more exciting?
Bring your Valentine on an adventure!
Why not take a nice ride in the air- a baloon ride? Or take your darling horseriding, yes it’s smelly but afterwards you cuddle up and massage those sore bones.
There are loads of offers out there, take a look in your local newspaper or why not search Last Minute.com? They have plenty of offers that you must be able to find some activity for you to do together.

Have a nice Valentines Day, and don’t forget; you should still buy that red rose to show your love.

Valentines day, treatments, goodies, sweets, chocolate

Maracujá

2007-02-06T02:11:00.000-08:00

In Brazil there are over 150 different types of passion fruit, 60 of them being eatable and the rest are used within different medical researches.
Passion fruit contains a lot of carbohydrates, vitamin A,B,C, calcium and important minerals and iron.
A juice made of passion fruit is calming and anti inflammatory. Tea made from the passion fruit leaves can have healing effects on infections.

The fruits name comes from the beautiful flower Passaflora or Flor da Paixáo. The most commonly imported passion fruit in Europe is the Violet passion fruit, whereas here in Brazil we eat the yellow one. The yellow passion fruit is much bigger and not as sweet as the smaller ones.

Cocada de Maracujá

240ml water
600ml sugar
320ml passion fruit juice
2 egg yolks
3 whole cloves
650-700 g grated coco

Add sugar, juice and water to a pan, put it to the boil and let simmer for about 15 minutes.
Mix egg yolks, cloves and coco and add to pan, let simmer for another 10minutes.
Stirr well.
Let it cool and pour into a suitable container and cut into squares.

Temptaçoes

2007-01-21T09:49:00.000-08:00

I loooove chocolate, you might already have figures that one out after reading my Chili Tryffle post.
Well I like dark chocolate, not too dark and not too sweet. And I love to experiment with chocolate. I am not a big fan of these chocolate recipies that you find in “everyhouseholdcookboooks”.

I usually think the chocolate taste isn’t enough or that they are too dry or sweet.Now I have found a real “Oh just another slice” cake. And it was so simple and so delicious.
I basically just call this cake “Dark Temptation” or you ould call it “Dark Strawberry Temptation”.

Dark Temptation
Cake:

150g butter
180g sugar
100ml mashed/mixed Strawberries (100ml after mashed)
4-5 tbsp cocoa
2tsp vanilla sugar
2 eggs
60g flour

Decoration:
50g cream cheese
2tbsp cocoa
2tbsp butter
2tbsp cream
60g confectionars sugar
Strawberries

Melt the butter and beat with the sugar. Stirr well and add cocoa, vanilla sugar and the mashes strawberries. Add an egg at the time and finally add the flour. Pour into a round pan and bake for about 20 min 175 degrees.
The cake is not supposed to be completely dry in the middle but still a bit “loose”. Mix all the ingredients for the decoration, make it double if you think it’s too little or want to spread it instead of piping it.
Pipe the chocolate over the cake and decorate with strawberries.
Serve with cream or as it is.

Acerola

2007-01-20T11:26:00.000-08:00

Have you ever tried C-vitamin tablets that contains "Acerola"? Well if you haven't and want some really nice c-vitamin tablets you should go and buy some at once! it's truly addicitive.
So what is Acerola? Acerola is a small fruit that is very common in South America. They grow on a small litle tree/shrub. You might think it's cherries first, but inside there are small seeds and the taste is a bit sour/sweet.

The good thing about Acerola is that it contains loads of C-vitmain. You get the minimum daily dose from just one single berry. Not bad right. To get up to the same quantaty of C-vitmanin when you eat an orange you have to eat a few oranges instead of just one little Acerola berry. A few meaning like atleast 10. :)

Here in Brazil you can find Acerola flavour in milkshakes, ice-cream and so on. You cannot buy them so whenever I get some I put them in the freezer. Mix it with some milk and sugar there's your Acerola milkshake. Easy and nutricous. To get the most C-vitmain you should eat them when they're green. Thats when the C-vitamin level is the highest. So if you feel a cold's coming on, ask the pharmacy for some Acerola tablets.

Acerola also goes under the name Malpighia glabra.

Dicas

2007-01-14T09:25:00.000-08:00

Dar Dicas means to give advice. So i thought I'd give you some kitchen advice in this section. I am sure you have a few ones to give out yourself.

Well if you want to make a crouque monsiour but haven't got an oven or a grill you can actually use your iron!
Simply put the sandwich in some aluminium foil and close and use the iron as you would use the grill.
I saw this on Tv and it worked.

Did you burn yourself when you took that cake out of the oven? Well don't panic, beat an egg and use the eggwhite to sooth your burn.
This works, I've used it myself with good results.

How many times haven't you seen some kid, usually a girl, that has managed to cover herself and the hair in chewinggum? The mother sighs and sayd: Well look now what you've done, we have to cut your hair!
No you don't, there is a cure. Coke. Yes, Coca-Cola. Cover the hair in coke, preferbly cold, until the gum gets stiff and you can just remove the gum.
Yes it works!

And what to do with that lemon thats been left over after the delicious lemoncake you made?
Put it in the freezer.
I you want to grate lemon peel it's easier if the lemon or orange is frozen.

Hope you have use for some of the advice found here, you never know, you might want to make a grilled sandwich but the grill is broken? :)

Mudanças

2007-01-11T05:46:00.000-08:00

I am currently updating the layout, if something doesn't look alright please do tell me.

It's suppose to look alright in IE and Firefox although firefox is recommended.
Hope you like it as much as I do :)

Christmas Cheesecake

2007-01-09T04:05:00.000-08:00

I've been busy lately updating my Swedish blog. As the result was very pleasing I'll try to update this one as well, the layout will be more or less the same.

Well holidays are over but some people try to hang on to Christmas for as long as they can. I am not one of these people but there is one thing I can eat all year around: "Christmas Rice". It's almost like Christmas pudding. Rice cooked in milk with cinnamon.
A must for a swede *and others as well* is gingersnaps and cinnamon cookies.

So a few days after Christmas i had some cookies and rice left. What to do?
Well a kind of cheesecake came to my mind. Without the cheese though. But the taste is lovely and reminds of cheesecake, therefor the name Christmas cheesecake.
Christmas Cheesecake

1.5 cups of crushed cookies such as ginger snaps, cinnamon cookies, digestive
25gram butter
4tbsp corn syrup

Mix all ingredients and flatten in a round form using fingertips.

1.5-3.5 cups of rice cooked in milk
2tbsp cream
4tbsp sugar (depending on how sweet the rice is)
4-5tbsp lemon juice
2small eggs

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and pour over the cake mix. Bake for 20-25 min, medium heat. Sprinkle some Cinnamon before serving, serve with cream or berries/lemon slices

This cake becomes quite flat in terms of thickness, for a thicker cake double the rice recipe.

Próspero Ano Novo

2006-12-31T10:04:00.000-08:00

In some parts of the world it's already year 2007. Here in Brazil it's still 2006 for another 8 hours. Well almost, 7,5 :)

This year has been good to me, my other blog in swedish has done well and i hope this one will become an inspiration to many others from around the world.

Actually I haven't prepared anything special for tonight, I'm gonna make some tortillas in a little while. I have to confess it's not what I want to do when it's 30+ degrees C outside but.... no choice if I want a mexican "touch" tonight. I did however make a heartshaped merenguecake this morning. I almost burned the meregue and the chocolate sauce but in the end it all turned out ok.

I wish you all A Happy New year!

Truffas

2006-12-26T06:07:00.000-08:00

I went on a 4 hour long ¨course¨on how to make perfect truffles a few weeks ago. It was very interesting, and I learned a lot. For example, that the temperature of the cream and chocolate has to be the same when you mix them, and the chocolate has to be kept in the refrigerator over night, at least 24 hours.
That's what the chocolatier said, but most people/recipes says different.
In most recipes you gently heat the cream and melt the chocolate in the cream. The chocolatier said different, you melt the chocolate in a bowl, placed on top of a pan filled with water that is 37-40 degrees C. Let it melt, let the heated cream cool down, simply mix chocolate, cream and add flavor of your choice.

Since the course I have tried various kinds of truffles; cardamon, cinnamon, mulled wine, rose pepper, pink pepper with black pepper and now chili and sugarcane rum and chili/sugarcane rum and salt tryffles.

I have been curious to make chilitruffles after I tried it once in a chocolate shop. First, I was a bit worried it might go wrong, but after studying several recipes I decided to have a go at it myself.
So yesterday I took 200g dark chocolate, 100ml single cream, 2tsp sugarcane rum, half a small red chili and made my chili truffles.

Chili truffles with sugarcane rum

200g dark chocolate
100ml single cream
2teaspoon sugarcane rum/rum
0.5 small red chili

Put the cream to boil, add the finely chopped chili * use a scissor instead so you don't have to touch the chili*
Let simmer for 1-2 min and remove the chili from the cream. Add the finely chopped chocolate to the cream and stir gently for everything to melt. Add the rum.
Place in a suitable bowl and cover and leave overnight in the fridge.

For Chili truffles with salt simply add a pinch of salt into the chocolate and stir well. Taste to see if further salt is needed.
Absolutely delicious!!

The chili and the rum combine well and leaves a nice stingy flavor when eaten. I can't stand spicy food but this is just perfect so don't be afraid to try it if you don't like spicy food.

The pink pepper truffle is an absolute favorite of mine now!

*Blogger won't let me post any pics at the moment so pic's are coming later.*

Feliz Natal!

2006-12-24T11:05:00.000-08:00

I wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Here in Brazil it's raining and I have no christmas feeling what so ever. Unfortunatley.
I have baked som ginger cookies and saffron buns, a must if you're a swede like me. Now the traditional ¨Vörtbröd¨ is about to be put in the oven as well. Vörtbröd is a traditional swedish bread which is made with different spices such as cardamon, fennel and anise among others. You can either make it with water or beer. I chose to go for beer and I can tell you the bread does smell of beer.
It's a very pleasant smell though and I can't wait to eat it with the rosted ham that's in the oven at the moment.

Here in Brazil I must say the christmas food is a bit boring, well at least what I've seen. I haven't seen anything that I've gone: ¨Oooh¨ for. The only thing that is a must have on the brazilian christmas table is Pannettone. Yes, fruitcake. I prefer the chocolate one though.
If anyone knows any typical brazilian christmas food, please do tell me. I might have missed it.

Well this christmas is a very light christmas, I have eaten so much meat this week that I will have problems eating the ham I fear. I made some cardamon tryffles and some mulled wine tryffles yesterday. Very nice although I would have like the mulled wine tryffles to have a stronger flavour. Next time I'll make it stronger.

Now I'm just going to figure out something delicious to make of the saffron that has been left over as I don't want to make anymore saffron buns.

Anne has posted about saffronbuns.

Merry Christmas! Feliz Natal! God Jul!

Fraternisaçao

2006-12-19T11:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went to the annual Christmas party that my job offers. A traditional gathering is usually at a barbecue.
Nothing different this year. We all went to a specialized BBQ place where they serve all kinds of different meat. Pork, roast, Brazilian sausages, grilled cheese, pineapple etc.

The waiters were running around with all the meat and I finally had to ask how many different kids of meat they had and the answer was 15.
Quite a lot if you ask me :)
The waiters serves you as long as you are eating.

I did my best to try to eat as much as I could but I have to say it was difficult and maybe I only tried half of what I'd liked to.

Well if you ever come around to Brazil you definitely have to go to a churrascaria! The best meat in one place. And you can eat as much as you like!

Or maybe you already know a nice churrascaria and would like to share your experiences here?

A nice Sunday

2006-12-10T12:26:00.000-08:00

Today has been a nice sunday, the sun is shining and it hasn't rained. It has rained mroe or less the whole week but not today.

I usually go to the Farmers market on sundays but now I haven't gone for 2weeks. Reason being I have already bought my vegetables at the supermarket at a better price. Sometimes you can really find some goodies at the farmers market, but they can be expensive. As I am on a tight budget at the moment I haven't got any spare pennies to spend so I have to keep a close-eye on my spendings. So far it's ok.

Recipies coming up...

Chá de amendoim

2006-12-07T15:27:00.000-08:00

Now when Christmas is knocking on our door we want to make some nice food to warm ourselves with. How about making a delicious hot peanut milk drink instead of hot cocoa?

Chá de amendoim
300 g roasted peeled peanuts
1 can of condensed milk
1 Liter milk

Mix the peeled peanuts and the condensed milk in a blender together with 1 liter milk.
Heat the remaining milk in a pan and add the peanut milk. Stir well, remove from the heat when the milk starts to boil.
Serve immediately

Lichia Seca

2006-12-07T15:12:00.000-08:00

Dried lichia kernels.
Sometimes it's not the fresh fruit that is the most beautiful. Sometimes the leftovers are what attracts us. At least in this case.

Jiló

2006-12-04T12:01:00.000-08:00

Jilo is a typical Brazilian vegetable related to aubergine/eggplant. It´s origins are unknown but here in Brazil it´s usually found at the Farmer´s Market.
The Farmer´s Market is held throughout the city the whole week. So if you need to find vegetables at a good price you should seek out the closest market.

To eat Jiló it´s best if you cook it in some water a few minutes before. The taste is very sour and bitter and not very nice if you ask me but who knows, maybe I just didn´t prepare it the right way.
If you happen to find Jiló you can also fry it with some garlic and vegetables. Or you can make slimming tea if you´re worried about your waistline.

It´s very beautiful to look at though I must say.

Brazilian Food Love

2006-12-03T07:44:00.000-08:00

Interested in Brazilian Food and culture?
I already have another blog about brazilian food but it's in swedish. As the interest for brazilian food is quite big I decided to share my experiences with the rest of the world.

Here you will get nice recipies, lots of food talk and other intersting facts about brazil.

If you happen to know swedish or just want to take a look at my other blog it's called Brazilian Linda .

See you soon!