ROAST PORK & MACARONI CHEESE

PRESSURE COOKER ROAST PORK

This was soo easy to do... I just rubbed a paste made with garlic, salt and pepper over the whole roasting pork (2.5 kg). In a pressure cooker, I sealed all sides of pork, took pork out of pan, pour 1/2 cup of water into pan... Put steam rack inside pan and rested browned pork on top of rack. Closed lip and cooked for 1 hour counting after pressure started. Released pressure, transferred pork to a baking tray and To complete, I brushed a mixture of soy sauce and brown sugar on pork and put in oven (220 degrees) for 15 min or until golden. NOTE: I removed pork fat (rind) after cooked in pressure cooker, rubbed with salt and put under a hot grill until crack. It was delicious!!!

BAKED MACARONI CHEESE

I was a bit disappointed with this one... I used a pasta given by a friend and I suspected it was made with rice flour... The taste was blend and completely different from regular pasta. I used a mixture of tasty, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and even after all the cheeses, the flavor did not improved... What didn't help was the fact I don't like macaroni cheese to start of with! Nevertheless... That's how I made it:
Cooked pasta. In a pirex I put a layer of pasta, cheeses, pieces of butter, salt, pepper, pasta again, cheeses, salt and pepper. Them I mixed 1 cup of milk with 2 beaten eggs and pour on top. Sprinkled dry bread crumbs on top and put pieces of butter. Baked in 180 degrees for 30 minutes. I think this pasta would be wonderful if made with regular pasta... I definitely will try again!!!

BUTTERSCOTCH PANCAKES

It has been quite a while since I've done some grocery shopping... I have decided to use all supplies I have inside our cupboard. This afternoon I wanted to make a sticky and sweet surprise to my son; he's favorite comfort dish: PANCAKES!
Checking my pantry, I realized I had all ingredients necessary to make a especial one - BUTTERSCOTCH PANCAKES - To turn the pancakes in the frypan was a bit tricky as this batter was softer than usual ones, but I got them right, breaking just one (that didn't go to waste as I eat it!)
It was sooo yummy... Reminded me a dessert I always eat when I go out with the girls... STICKY DATE PUDIM... Pity I didn't have a dollop of cream/or ice cream to eat with it. They all loved and asked to put some away for after dinner.

BUTTERSCOTCH PANCAKES

Sauce:
60 gr margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup thickened cream (I used coconut milk)
Pancakes:
1 cup self raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
11/4 cups milk
1 egg
15 gr butter, melted (I used 1 tbs vegetable oil)

Sauce: Melt margarine in a pan until golden, add sugar and cook for around 2 minutes, add cream and continue stirring until sauce thickens. Set aside.
Pancake: Sift flour and baking powder, add sugar and mix. In other bowl, whisk egg, milk and oil. Mix wet ingredients with dry one and whisk until smooth. Let stand for 15 minutes. Spray oil in a frypan and cook 1/3 cup of batter at times until golden both sides, turning once. Drizzle sauce over cooked pancakes and serve.

These photos were taken from my front garden... It looks so peaceful... My husband and daughter discovered this flower in our garden today... It was a lovely surprise!
I planted a foliage plant last year without knowing that it gives this beautiful flower... Must be spring approaching... I should spend more time in the garden as it calms the soul...

LENTIL SOUP & CUSTARD CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE

I GIVE UP!!!!!!!! With me there will be always an excuse to bake. My excuse today was that I had some egg yolks in the fridge (from a fortune cookie I tried to do that used only the whites) and I was feeling guilty to throw them away...
As I have a delicious cake recipe that uses only yolks... There was no reason to waste right!? However I substituted 1 cup flour for custard powder which gave the cake this wonderful yellowish color. I thought that this cake wouldn't be complete without at least a chocolate sauce to pour on top, so I looked into my thick recipe file and found one that sounded yummy, with very little ingredients and was simple to make... Here is the recipe:
4 tbs brown sugar
3 tbs raw sugar
2 tbs margarine
2 tbs maple syrup
3 tbs cocoa powder
2 tbs milk
You just have to boil the ingredients for around 4 minutes and pour on top of cooked cake. It is very rich and delicious... Perfect to transform any "simple" cake into something special!

VANILLA CUSTARD CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE

WHAT'S FOR DINNER?
Well, I am not a big fan of soups... I just like the idea of bite my food and not only swallow or drinking it. However there are days that a warm soup becomes the perfect meal... And today was one of these days... I had half pack of red lentil in the cupboard and I decided to use it. It is a very easy soup to make; you brown some garlic and onion in vegetable oil, add chopped carrot and potato, lentil and add chicken stock (5X lentil amount) and let that simmer for approximately 30 min. Put around 2 cups of soup into a blender and blend until smooth. Return blended soup to pan and let it boil again. Serve with garlic toast.
This toasts you see was made by toasting white slice, spreading them with a mixture of mashed garlic, Parmesan cheese and mayonnaise and grilling them. They turned up beautiful! With this soup I felt healthy even after eating a piece of my custard cake (above)... Hehehehe... What can we do? We start the diet on Monday...

LENTIL, CARROT AND POTATO SOUP WITH GARLIC TOAST

PASTITSO

PASTITSO

This was a dish I made with a friend of mine on Wednesday. It is a Greek baked pasta made with meat sauce seasoned with cinnamon and nutmeg and topped with a rich cheese sauce (similar to lazanha). The recipe was so big that I had to freeze some. I didn't feel like cooking today, so I just reheated in microwave and served with some salad to make it a complete meal and to have a sense of freshness. This dish is very satisfying... The only problem is that you make 4 pans dirty (pasta, meat sauce, cheese sauce and baking dish) and you end up with lots to wash... But it is worth it!!! Specially if you are a pasta lover.

ALMOND 100'N'1000s CUPCAKES

Here I am again baking... I need to go out more during the day to keep my mind off FOOD! This cupcake recipe was one of "fix situation" recipe. I was trying to make fortune cookies I saw at Suyin Blog, However the batter did not work out for me this time, so I had to improvise adding some cornflour, more sugar, more egg and self raising flour to make consistency for a simple cake. It turned out quite nice with amaretti biscuit flavor. To be more attractive to my sooo complicated daughter, I just spread some nutella and add some hundred'n'thousands. I think she will eat them when she arrives from school... Hopefully she will be hungry!!!

PORK CHOP AND NOODLES WITH VEGETABLES

Tonight I decided to use pork chops I had in the freezer from last week. I just marinated in garlic salt, pepper, sesame oil and lemon juice. The chops stayed in marinade for all afternoon and I pan fried just before serve.
With the noodles, I used a mix of fresh and frozen vegetables. After I used the same pan I fried pork (to absorb all flavor from pan), I stir fried vegetables until "all dente" and add cooked noodles and sauce. My family loved and just left a little bit for my husband lunch tomorrow (he is lucky... Come home everyday for lunch!)

ORANGE BUTTER CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Well... I had promised myself not to do any more baking for a while as we have been felling a bit down (without energy) lately... I guessed it could be to much sugar and refined produts we've been abusing from. However I went to a cake store and bought a new cake pan... So I NEEDED to use my pan for the first time # to test it you know...# The cake was a simple butter cake recipe, but I didn't have milk, so I used coconut milk instead and as I didn't have enough vanilla extract, I used orange peel to give some flavor to the cake. It turned up wonderful and moist! GOOD WORK FOR ME! To make it even more special, I made chocolate ganache to top the cake. For the filling I used a nice butter icing with cocoa... Very yummy!
I have to stop baking... At least for a while until my family can feel more energetic and motivated. It is so hard to pass through the kitchen and do not turn the oven on... I think I should avoid to look into my "inspirational bookshelf" where I have most of my cookbooks... soooo attractive... soo scrunptions...

BRAZILIAN PARTY

My friend's party was excellent!!! In the end I was very tired, however it was worth it all the planning, organization and cooking...

Around 25 people showed up for the party and I suspect that all guests had a wonderful time! The atmosphere was perfect with Brazilian music on the background, guests were relaxed and the food made them feel back home. Caipirinha drink gave them the excuse to let themselves "free" to be what they wanted to be. Brazilian flag on the wall made us believe we weren't so far way...

I was soo proud of myself... I did most of the cooking and I was kind off embarrassed when everybody came to thank me for the beautiful food... It really was an achievement for me as I have never cooked for so many people at one time before.

Below is a fruit cake I made from scratch and it was delicious... The cake was all gone... This cake had 3 layers of vanilla cake with pineapple/custard filling and the other was strawberry/custard filling.



I absolutely loved the experience. It gave me the confidence I needed to maybe start to earn some money from this hobby I enjoy soooo much!

CHEESE AND JAM PARCELS

This week was absolutely crazy for me as I am helping my friend to organize a Brazilian party she will be giving this Sunday at her place. I will be helping her with everything from decorations,groceries and of course... Cooking!!!
The party menu will include the so famous FEIJOADA which is a black beans and pork/beef steaw that is not for the fainted heart! To serve with feijoada we will have garlic rice, couve (saute greens similar to Chinese cabbage), farofa (manioc flour with condiments toasted with butter) and to refresh our mouth after this heavy dish... sliced oranges. An alternative for vegetarians will be my specialty: baked grilled eggplant slices filled with ricotta paste and topped with tomato sauce and a blend of cheeses...Yummy!!!
For desserts I will be making BRIGADEIRO, vanilla cake with custard/fruit filling topped with stabilized whipped cream and tropical fruits, as well as passionfruit mousse.
Don't worry, we did not forget the drinks: The mouth watering GUARANA (Brazilian soft drink) and the intoxicating CAIPIRINHA (lime pieces, sugar and white rum). I will be taking some photos to share with you all...

But for now... Just a little snack I prepared today for my loved ones to eat after school; CHEESE AND JAM PARCELS

I had some shortcrust pastry left from a quiche, so I just opened dough, cut in circles and filled them with pieces of tasty cheese and a teaspoon of strawberry preserve. Closed them (but as you can see, they have opened!) and bake in a hot oven for approximately 15 minutes. Them I sprinkled them with icing sugar to give an even more sweet taste as the pastry didn't have any sugar.
It turned out very good and they all loved!!!

PASTA WITH TOMATO SAUCE

SIMPLE & QUICK MEAL AGAIN...

What a day! I haven't had not even time to do the beds today... The house is a mess and the last think I want to do is a "fancy" meal. Pasta again? At my place isn't a problem... My husband is Italian, so he will never get sick of pasta... good for me!

This one is our traditional "pasta red sauce". It is the simplest of them all. I just fry some chopped garlic in olive oil, add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and let it fry a little. Add 1 jar of tomato passata, 2 teaspoons of sugar and cook for about 15 minutes or until thick. I never add salt to my sauce as I like it sweet, boosting the flavors of tomato. I was given some deep fried sausage shape meat balls yesterday, so I add them to my sauce 10 minutes before sauce was ready. To make it complete, I topped all with a "generous" amount of Parmesan cheese (grated) and served with bread to soak sauce that is left on plate ( they usually leave plates white again!!!)

CAPPUCCINO KISSES

Yesterday I went shopping and saw a product that was new to me... Next to condensed milk on the shelves was this can which said Coffee'n'milk. You know; Brazilians love coffee. My breakfast since I was 4 ou 5 years old was bread (panino), butter, cheese and a cup of sweet and fresh brewed coffee (that's right; kids in Brazil drinks coffee!). The combination of cheese and hot coffee in the mouth is fantastic and brings me memories! Anyway... I invented a recipe inspired by the little sweets called BRIGADEIRO (I posted recipe in this blog) but instead of just chocolate this has a deep coffee flavor and was a very nice mouthful dessert to have after a meal.
That's what I did:

1 can of Coffee'n'milk

1 can(same as above) of milk

1 tbs margarine

2 tbs of drinking chocolate

1/2 cup of almond meal

1 tbs of cornflour

extras to coat sweets:

caster sugar/almond meal

Mix the first six ingredients in a pan. Let the mixture cook over low heat stirring it constantly until the mixture loosens from the bottom of the pan and it is thick . Put the mixture on a greased plate and allow it to cool down completely. Roll 1 teaspoon of mixture into small balls. Tip: Grease your hands with butter before making the small balls. Wash your hands once in a while if necessary. Mix caster sugar and almond meal in a bowl and roll the small balls in this mixture to cover. 6. Place balls in small paper patty cases and then on a serving plate.

CHEESE & PASTA FILO PIE

This morning I met with an Armenian friend of mine and we end up doing a dish she said is very popular in Armenia. She didn't know it's name, so I made up one that I thought would suit the dish. Cheese is the main ingredient and it is mixed with tiny little bowl pasta (cooked), parsley, eggs and seasonings to taste.



We grated tasty cheese, crumbled feta cheese, little bowl pasta (cooked), mix with one egg, a handful of parsley, chili powder, salt and black pepper. In a baking dish we layered filo pastry brushing each sheet with melted butter. Put the cheese mixture and top with another 4 to 5 layers of filo pastry brushing it with butter as done before. Cut pie into serving sizes before baking and drizzle a bit more melted butter on top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. On top of sesame seeds, put 1 loosed sheet of filo pastry(will be taken out before eat. It will only protect the pie to avoid getting too dark while cooking in oven). Cook in a preheated 170 degrees oven for approximately 30 minutes or until golden brown. Take out of oven, let it rest for 5 minutes and take the loose filo from top. Serve with salad and hummus.

SEMOLINA CAKE WITH FENNEL SEEDS

Looking into Syuins Blog, I saw that she has tried a new little cake adding fennel seed to it. I thought to post it the Brazilian version (that is very popular in Minas Gerais State) of SEMOLINA CAKE WITH FENNEL SEEDS. The fennel seeds gives the cake a wonderful fragrance... you can smell it as soon as you cut the cake... I hope you can see the fennel seeds popping around the cake with this photos. Don't forget; the perfect beverage to have with this cake is sweet black coffee!!!

1 egg

1 cup milk

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup plain flour

3/4 cup semolina (fine)

1 tsp baking powder

1 pinch salt

1 tbs fennel seeds

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup grated cheese(pizza plus)

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix all wet ingredients and pour into the dry ingredients. Mix until all is combined. Put into a greased baking pan (I used loaf one) and bake at 200 degrees for around 30 minutes (test with skewer). The oven has to be preheated.

LEFTOVER RICE

Last night I was expecting a friend to come for dinner. She came... However not for dinner but for coffee and cakes, therefore I was left with extra garlic rice. Not a problem to Brazilian... Because we like freshly cooked rice, we always find a way to do and extra meal with leftover rice: *rice patties, *fried rice little cakes, *rice pie, *rice filled omelet and the ideas goes on... Living in Australia (Asian influences) and loving Asian food, I decided to do fried rice (western style). I have made this many times here at my place and my son and husband likes it.


To do that you just have to fry a chopped onion, carrot, green beans and peas in a frypan. After all vegies are cooked, add cold cooked rice and keep mixing it until rice is hot. To season, I just crumbled a chicken stock cube over the fried rice and mix to melt. To complete the meal, I just served with a fried egg on top. This meal is FAST FOOD, DELICIOUS AND FILLING. What else do you want on a Sunday night?

CHICKEN WINGS TERYAKI

Our dinner tonight was my daughter's favorite food; CHICKEN WINGS TERYAKI. She is a very hard girl to please... Very fussy to eat, however the day I make this dish... She goes wild and even fight for the last piece!!! It is wonderful to see her making her fingers dirty with pleasure (this chicken is sweet and sticky). To have a girl who question anything she eats not even talking while eats... It's a miracle. So this one you can be sure it's a GOOD one!



What I do is separate around 800 gr wings, descarting the end bits. Fry the chicken in a little oil. When the chicken is cooked, I put 4 tbs of brown sugar, 2 tbs sake, 2 tbs mirin and 4 tbs soy sauce over the chicken. Keep cooking until the sauce reduces and becomes thick. Your chicken is done... Simply isn't? Now just enjoy it with a fresh salad (like this one)made with carrots, Chinese cabbage and a simple dressing with olive oil, wine vinegar and salt. Do not forget the garlic rice which is a must to soak up all the yummy juices!!!

I enjoy so much Asian food... Maybe I should be posting more of my Asian creations. I would try to post some more next week.

PARTY SANDWICH 2

I thought it would be nice to post some photos which show how it looks from the inside...



They look colorful and nice... Don't you think?

PARTY SANDWICH

Another creation that takes me back in time...

Brazilian everyday bread is the long bread roll or as called by the Italians; "pannino"(I don't know it that's the correct spelling) "even in English I do my mistakes..." Maybe could we call it accent!?... I am sure I will be forgiven from all! Getting back to subject... Slice bread is eaten only in rare occasion in Brazil like in cocktail parties as mini sandwich spread with meat or vegetable paste or as a party sandwich like this one I am posting today.

The good thing about this "savory cake" it the fact you can put absolutely anything you want... You can make it healthy using wholegrain breads and low fat spreads and/or nuts or you can make it very rich using cheese spreads, mayonnaise, sour cream and decorate with french fries... Basically whatever your mind can think of. There are people who mix sweet spread like cranberry jam and shaving turkey... Just use your imagination! You won't be disappointed!

My sandwich was built by slicing horizontally a small piece of stale loaf that was about to go to the bin... I took the crust out and spreaded a thin layer of pate in each slice until all slice was used. My pates: green (homemade guacamole),red (tomato and cheese paste) and yellow (curry egg paste). Another thing I did was to moistened each slice with milk (because the bread was very dry/stale) before spread the pastes. To finalize, I mixed mash potato, cream cheese and mayonnaise and top the whole sculpture. The little piping I did with some chopped parsley into potato cream to give the color. My husband came home for lunch and he nearly finish the whole thing... Leaving only a little piece for me to try, as you can see it was a success!


I hope someone have a go on this one and see for themselves how yummy it tastes!!!
It would look great on a buffet type table, just make a big version with 2 loafs of bread.
Have a nice evening everyone!

EVERYDAY MEAL TYPE

Today I made a "not so challenge" meal...

This kind of dish I usually make when I am really out of ideas or inspirations... Looks can be deceiving...

PENNE WITH PORK AND VEGETABLES

What I've done was: fry 1 small onion (chopped) and 2 garlic (chopped) in 1 tbs vegetable oil for about 2 minutes. Add 300gr mince pork and cook until brown. Add 3 tbs of tomato paste and fry for 1 minute. Add 1 big carrot (chopped) and 1/2 head broccoli (chopped). After 2 minutes, add 1 cup water and salt to taste. Let it cook for approximately 20 minutes or until sauce is thick.

Cook 300 gr penne, drain and serve with sauce and top with grated cheese. I added chilli sauce to my pasta (It is just a perfect spice for a cold night!). My tongue is tingling!!!

SIMPLE... HEALTHY... YUMMY... FULFILLING... PERFECT FOR A "SLOW" DAY!

To complete the meal? .......................... Just serve a piece of moist cake with coffee afterwards!!!

CARAMEL MOUSSE TART

In Brazil there is a very popular creamy sweet made with milk and sugar that calls "DOCE DE LEITE". The closest we can get to it here is the Top'n'fill caramel spread found in a can alongside to condensed milk on supermarket shelves. I came across this dessert surfing Brazilian cooking sites and I just made last night... It is superb! The only thing I found is that it did not leave a strong flavor off caramel (as I expected), so next time I will add more caramel to the filling. Another thing I add was the chocolate topping that did not have on the original recipe.

Biscuit crust:
200gr chocolate biscuit, crushed

100gr margarine, melted

Mix all ingredients and cover base and sides of a 24 cm round tin (removable sides). Bake at predate oven (180 degrees) for 5 minutes. Take out off oven and let cool.

Mousse:

1 can top'n'fill caramel

1 can (the same as condensed milk) of thickened cream

1 1/2 packet of unfulfilled gelatin

5 tbs of water

3 egg whites, beated until thick and glossy

Mix caramel can and thickened cream. Beat with electric mixer until smooth. Add gelatin that has been dissolved with water (you can do that in the microwave, however do not let the water boil) while still beating. Mix egg whites with batter softly until all whites are combine with the caramel cream. Pour on top of crust and put into fridge for 3 hours or freezer for 1 hour.

Chocolate topping:

200 ml thickened cream

2 tbs nuttella

1 tsp unflavor gelatin

2 tbs water

Heat thickened cream and mix nutella into it. Dissolve gelatin into water and mix with nutella cream. After tart has been into freezer for at least 30 minutes, take it out and pour warm nutella cream on top. Put it back into freezer and let it set for another 30 minutes.

You can decorate with anything you want... I though to put same curled chocolate on top but found out I did not have any, so I had to put some coconut into design and turned out find mixed with chocolate topping.

TUNA & VEGETABLES QUICHE

MY NEVER FAIL QUICHE

This is a classic "girl's lunch dish", witch I like very much... A nice way to get friends together and feed them with a warm cheesy, creamy, full of vegies protein meal. It goes well with any salad and the house gets warm too with the oven heat! Perfect atmosphere for a gossip afternoon...hehehehe....

The pastry is a regular shortcrust dough and filling goes whatever you like: cooked vegies, cooked bbq chicken or like this one with tuna. Make a mixture with milk, eggs, cheese and flour to pour on top of filling and bake until golden brown.




Here it is one dish I have been making for quite some time and never fail on me... Always to perfection!!! I just receive compliments on this one! I hope you all like as much I do.

... Now let me see... What will I cook next?

PORK CAKES & GARLIC RICE

PORK CAKES WITH VEGETABLES AND GARLIC RICE

500 gr lean pork mince
1 egg
4 tbs Parmesan cheese, grated
2 tbs plain flour
2 tsp paprika
2 garlic, grated
1 tbs olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste
Vegetables of your choice
1 chicken stock cube

Just mix all ingredients and shape into patties. Pan fry and set aside. In the same pan, stir fry some vegetables until "al dente". Crumble chicken stock cube over them and add just a little water. Serve on a bed of garlic rice.

FOR SAUCE:

Just mix 2 tbs of whole egg mayonnaise, 1 tbs BBQ sauce and 2 tsp parmesan cheese. Pour on top of cakes. Left over sauce and cakes can be made into burgers on the next day for lunch... Just add salad instead of saute vegetables!

VERY SIMPLE, HOWEVER TASTY, QUICK AND SOMEHOW HEALTHY!!!!

Today it was a very lazy day... No desire to cook anything special, so I remembered that I had some chicken schnitzel frozen from 2 weeks ago (I usually freeze large amount for days like today).
To go with the chicken, I made some guacamole "quick version" with just avocado, lemon, garlic, salt and pepper. As I am a Brazilian... I made garlic rice as well and the meal was complete!!!
The best things in like are always the simple ones... To be honest... One food I cannot resist is RICE... In Brazil we eat them at least twice a day (lunch and dinner) and still never got sick of it. Sorry for being cocky... But my "garlic rice" is one of the best I've ever tasted! The house smells wonderful while I am cooking it.
Hopefully tomorrow I will cook something special...

BOMBOM DE BRIGADEIRO

AS I SAID... ONCE WE STARTS DOING BRIGADEIRO, WE'LL BE ALWAYS COMING BACK FOR SOME MORE...
IN THIS RECIPE I JUST DONE THE BRIGADEIRO ORIGINAL RECIPE (OMITTING THE CHOCOLATE SPRINKLES) AND COVERED THEM WITH MELTED DARK CHOCOLATE... mmmm... Very chocolaty... Rich chocolate taste... Perfect for end of evenings...

VEGETABLES MAYONNAISE

Posting the recipe of Brigadeiro, made me go WAY back into my childhood in Brazil... My parents always had full time jobs and my order brother and I were left to our mother's house assistant to look after us during the day where she did all the household cooking. However on the weekends, my mother would cook for us and even though her cooking used to be quite bland (my father never liked food with "more than minimal" oil or salt), there was one salad she would make everytime someone would come to join us at lunch time... and I loved as it was loaded with "tangy" mayonnaise and decorated with crisp and fresh lettuce leaves around it making as if it was a nest. To complete, she would make a beautiful "red rose" with tomato skin. The recipe is pretty easy since you can use anything you fancy... 2 ingredients are essencial: potato and the soo beloved MAYONNAISE (please choose one that's not so sweet).

My recipe goes like this;

VEGETABLES MAYONNAISE

3 medium potato (cooked and diced)
1 large carrot (cooked and diced)
2 hard boiled eggs
2 handfuls of green beans (cooked and chopped)
4 tablespoons of corn kernels
4 Tablespoons of whole egg mayonnaise (more if you wish!!!)
1 OXO chicken stock cube, crumbled

Just mix everything with the mayonnaise and stock and put in fridge to chill and flavors to blend together... Decorate with what you have in hands! On mine I did not have lettuce, so I just sliced some tomato, an extra boiled egg and some green olives to make presentable.

This is a very refreshing salad and one that you can "hide" vegetables your child doesn't eat (as I did to my daughter with corn). Depending the way to serve and decorate, this salad becomes a state of art in catering events.

Have a nice weekend to all!!

BRIGADEIRO - CHOCOLATE KISSES

MEMORIES...

In Brazil (country where I was born) there is a sweet that get everyone's heart... It called BRIGADEIRO. They are sooo good that in kid's parties even adults literately attack them, so usually they are the first thing to be finished from the table. We Brazilian do not eat sweets very often (as a tropical country, we eat lots of fresh fruits as dessert), so when we make them, we like it SWEET and those are very sweet... But if you make them, you will not regret and will do it again, and again, and again!!!! And they look great to!!! We decorate the table with all sorts of "little kisses" like this ones made from cocoa and other made with different flavors and colors as well...



Brigadeiro

1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon of butter
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
chocolate sprinkles
Small paper cases

Preparation:
1. Put the condensed milk, butter, egg yolk and cocoa powder in a pan and mix them all together.
2. Let the mixture cook over low heat for about 12 minutes, stirring it constantly until the mixture loosens from the bottom of the pan and it is thick like cream.
3. Put the mixture on a greased plate and allow it to cool down completely.
4. Roll 1 teaspoon of mixture into small balls. Tip: Grease your hands with butter before making the small balls. Wash your hands once in a while if necessary.
5. Put the chocolate sprinkles in a bowl and roll the small balls in the chocolate sprinkles.
6. Place balls in small paper patty cases and then on a serving plate.

I hope you enjoy this recipe!

YELLOW CAKE - YOLKS ONLY

Here we are again... I am getting use to it... It's quite fun... Especially that yesterday I had the first comment posted in my bloc. It was from mango cupcake original recipe owner and I am please that she enjoyed seen her recipe being duplicated.

Today I thought that was a good idea to give you all a recipe I have been making for quite some time now... Once I was in that "high protein/low carb diet" and eating loads of egg white and as a result I was throwing heaps of yolks away... I didn't like the idea so I had to find a recipe that use only egg yolk... and I didn't want to do mayonnaise (boring) even dough I LOVE MAYONNAISE! Anyway... I found a YELLOW CAKE RECIPE in the net and have been doing since. It tasted yummy and the family likes it very much. The recipe go:



6 large egg yolks
1 cup milk
3 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tbs + 1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
170 grams unsalted butter, room temperature

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Spray two 20cm cake tin with oil spray. Line bottom with glad bake paper. In a bowl lightly combine the yolks,1/4 cup milk and vanilla.
In a large bowl combine dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add butter and remaining 3/4 cup milk. Mix on low speed until ingredients are moistened. Increase speed and beat for 2 minutes. Gradually add the egg mixture in 3 batches, beaten 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the egg. Divide batter into prepared cake tins and smooth surface. Bake 25/30 minutes or until skewer comes out clean. Cake shrink a bit after take from oven. To finalize, I them sandwich them with a custard cream and top with whipped cream and fruit.

Today I am a bit more enthusiastic about my blog...at the moment, learning how to upload an image... as you all can see, I succeded! I know, I know... I am a little old fashion with technology, but I will get there and will be a very exciting experience to me. By the way, that's me... just an introduction!

Lets get back to what I did this blog for: FOOD!!!!!



This cupcakes look great don't you think? I have just learned the recipe last week at Suyin Blog - "I don't know how to link her page yet"- and they are divine! Their name... MANGO CUPCAKES WITH CHEAM CHEESE FROSTING! The only thing I did diferently from hers is that I poured syrup on cakes after they were out of oven (the own juices from the canned fruit)and I blended the mango before mix it in cake batter. Before I forget; I used a friand tin to bake this instead of the regular cupcake tin. I have to thank her for this recipe as it will be one of my FOREVER recipe card into my large and heavy recipe folder.

WHERE DO I START FROM?

HONESTY? I want so bad to have my blog going... however with so many ideas going through my head, I don't know from where to start.
If you are passing by, don't despair... come back again and maybe this place will be full of interesting things to read and do.
I really apreciate your pacience and I will definetely reward you in the future.
Regards... your blogger