Friday, June 26, 2026

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.


Thursday, June 25, 2026

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.







Brigadeiro

1 can Sweetened condensed milk (Lechera) 7 table spoon chocolate powder (Nesquik)  1 table spoon unsalted butter Chocolate sprinkles  Stir a...