Kitchen shopping made easy

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!

Potatoes, potatoes and more potatoes

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

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

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

"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

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?

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?

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

Christmas is coming!

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

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?

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?

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

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

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?

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!

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

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

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

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

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... :)