Brigadeiro

1 can Sweetened condensed milk (Lechera)

7 table spoon chocolate powder (Nesquik) 

1 table spoon unsalted butter

Chocolate sprinkles 

Stir all the ingredients (except for sprinkles) over medium heat until combined into a sticky cream consistency. Place it in a bowl to cool. You can make the littles balls or just spoon it out of the bowl.

Caprese Salad

Lentils and Kielbasa Sausage

Lentils are very popular in Brazil. It is a very typical dish for the new year (reveillon). According to my mom eating lentils will bring us prosperity and money. I am not sure how much of that is true but life has treated me well. I am a big fan of lentils and I could eat them everyday. For recipes with lots of chopping, I do mise en place, meaning, everything in its place and ready to go in the pot, before I turn on the heat.

I actually do not remember exactly how my mom made her lentils. I believe that instead of sausage she used bacon or Calabresa sausage. You can make this a soup by adding more liquid, but in Brazil we just eat lentils as we eat beans, combined with rice.

1 small onion chopped

3 cloves garlic minced

1 cup sliced carrots

1 cup sliced celery

1 Kielbasa sausage cut into small cubes

2 cups lentils

6 cups of water or vegetable broth

2 bay leaves

1 tomato peeled, seeds removed, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

I chop up all the ingredients and when everything is ready to go in the pot, I turn on the heat and using a Dutch Oven, I add the olive oil and when it is warm I add the sausage stirring until a little crisp. Then I added the onions and cook for 2 minutes. Then I add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Then I add the remaining vegetables and cook for 2 minutes. I then add the liquid, the lentils and bay leaves, salt and pepper. Once it start boiling, I turn the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, then I add the tomato and cook for ten more minutes or until the lentils are cooked. I prefer to not cook it too much so they are still a little firm.

I serve this dish with white rice.

Brazilian Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

4 eggs

¾ cup vegetable oil

2 medium carrots chopped

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1 tbsp baking powder

For the chocolate icing:

6 tbsp Nesquik

6 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp milk

1 tbsp unsalted butter

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Add the cake ingredients into a blender and blend all the ingredients until combined and the batter is smooth. Transfer the ingredients onto a greased and floured rectangular 9x13 baking sheet. Put it in the oven and let it bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until a tooth pick comes out dry. You can leave the cake in the pan.

Add all the icing ingredients into a sauce pan. Stir over medium heat until combined into a syrupy consistency. Pour it over the cake while still warm and let it cool before slicing the cake.

Guacamole

Brazilians do not eat avocados like Mexicans. Our avocado is different - bigger and sweeter. It is perfect for a smoothie. I love to mash it with some sugar and lime juice to eat the cream with a spoon. Anyways, even though I have lived in Mexico for five years, I learned how to make guacamole with a very good friend in the United States. This recipe is extra special to me because everybody in my family eats guacamole. Everywhere I go and make it, I always get compliments. Nicholas eats guacamole, ignoring all the stuff he despises like onions, leaves etc. And the friend who taught me turned to be Nicholas godmother. I am not sure I am making the recipe exactly how she taught me, but since whatever I am making is being appreciated I will share it with you guys. 

Ingredients: 

 4 ripe avocados 

1 or 2 roma tomatoes (depends on the size) 

¼ yellow or red onion 

¼ jalapeño or serrano (no seeds) 

1 tbsp chopped cilantro 

Juice from one lime 

Salt to taste 

Start by chopping up the tomatoes, onion, chile, cilantro and add them into a bowl. Cut open the avocados, remove the stem and cut them into small cubes. Add the small cubes into the bowl, with the lemon juice and salt, mixing it up with a spoon. I can eat mine with rice and beans or with some tortilla chips.

 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Jun. 2, 2020

https://photos.app.goo.gl/MZ7CsYjbH6RR6yB58

Jasmine Rice Recipe

Brazilians love rice and beans! Some like to season it with onions, some with garlic and onion. I have some picky eaters and they do not like the texture of cooked onion so I had to adjust. I hope you like it. Now this thing of only cooking rice with water is a no-no where I come from. Even if you have other plans for the rice, you still season it properly.

Having lived abroad takes you away from the stuff you are used to so adjusting is part of the process. I chose Jasmine rice to replace the Brazilian type rice. Sometimes I go back home (Brazil) and it is almost like I miss the taste of Jasmine rice. Go figure.

Jasmine Rice Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups Jasmine rice

1 garlic clove minced

1 tbsp oil 

Water (follow the package for the right amount)

Directions

In a medium saucepan, heat up the oil and sauté garlic for 30 seconds. Add the rice sauté for 1 minute, then add the water. Bring water to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer in low heat for 20 minutes.

Keep it simple!

As a kid, we only ate out occasionally. Not because we did not want to but because we could not afford to eat out. We lived in a remote area, away from good places and there was no way we could be eating out everyday. 

We learned how to cook from scratch. Some of my friends sometimes will ask me if I always mince fresh garlic for my recipes. My answer is YES. There is nothing better than fresh ingredients for your recipes. We would use tomatoes from a can and other ingredients that were not available fresh.

I remember that when McDonald's arrived in Brazil, people went crazy over it. And it was so expensive! We never ate at McDonald's. Not because we did not want to but because it was too much for a humble family like ours.

My grandma had lots of chickens. She always had fresh eggs and once or twice a week she would kill a chicken for us to eat. It was not a pretty scene watching my grandma kill the poor chicken but it was delicious to eat anything she cooked. 

My grandma did not meet her biological parents. She was born in Bahia and got adopted by a Turkish family who lived in Minas Gerais. That family taught my grandma to make many Mediterranean dishes. And I got used to eating her treats but never thought about the fact the her cuisine was a little different. My mom, of course, learned her cooking skills with my grandma. She was not an expert like my grandma but she learned how to season meat like no one else. I got that from mom. Sometimes I become creative and try different things. But there is nothing like the easy way that only mom knew how to make.

I was a very quiet kid, to the point of being annoying but I was a good observer and a quick learner. I was invited to the kitchen to clean after the cook. I liked to do it as I watched them cook. I learned from my grandma, from my mom and some other people that became part of my life. I can tell you that at this point, I am a better cook than most. There is just one person that I could never beat even if I wanted to. My grandma. She knew just so much, and she could not read. No recipes. She cooked from her mind. She was able to remember everything. And I was never disappointed.

I decided to write this blog to distract myself from the negativity. I decided to get together all the simple recipes I have been cooking these days and share them with anyone who likes some tasty, fresh and healthy food.

Stir Fried Rice

Ingredients:

4 cups cooked rice (I prefer Jasmine rice, leftover is great) 

2 cups broccoli florets 

1 cup chopped carrots 

1 cup chopped cabbage (I prefer Asian cabbage) 

½ cup chopped celery 

½ cup chopped onion 

1 garlic clove minced 

½ cup chopped green onion 

1 tbsp Sesame seed oil 

Soy sauce to taste 

Directions: 

Start by chopping up all the vegetables. In a large skillet heat up the oil over medium heat and saute onion and garlic for 1 minute. Add celery and saute for 1 minute. Add the remaining veggies and saute until tender. Add soy sauce (you may start with 1 tbsp and taste). Once the vegetables are tender, add the rice plus 1-2 tbsp of Soy sauce and cook until warm. You may add more Soy sauce making sure to taste every after addition. Sprinkle the green onion on top and serve immediately. Note: if you like protein, you may add one egg or two once veggies are cooked. Just move veggies to one side of the skillet and scramble the eggs on the other side. Once cooked, mix them all together and then add the rice. Leftover chicken breast or salmon are good options, too. 

My rice recipe: Ingredients 2 cups Jasmine rice 1 garlic clove minced 1 tbsp oil Water (follow the package for the right amount) Directions In a medium saucepan, heat up the oil and saute garlic for 30 seconds. Add the rice saute for 1 minute, then add the water. Bring water to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer in low heat for 20 minutes.

Moqueca de Peixe (Fish Stew)

Ingredients:

6-8 white fish fillets (Tilapia, Robalo, Flounder etc)

1 medium onion sliced

3 garlic cloves mince

3 bell peppers any colors sliced

1 medium tomato chopped, seeds and skin removed

½ cup cilantro roughly chopped

1/2 serrano pepper finely chopped, seeds removed

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (Brazilian or Thai)

1 tablespoon oil of your preference

Salt

Black pepper

Instructions:

You will need a large thick skillet with a lid. Heat the oil over medium heat then layer onions and garlic. Cook for one minute. Add bell peppers, tomato, a pinch of salt and pepper. Cover and let it cook for two minutes. Layer the fish fillets on top, sprinkle salt and pepper, add cilantro and serrano. Cover and let it cook for another 2 minutes. Add coconut milk cover and cook for 7-10 minutes or until fish is cooked. Add more salt or pepper to taste.

This dish is great served with rice.