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Now that Halloween is done it's a perfect time to buy pumpkins. Going to roast some pumpkin seeds and puree the pumpkin and can it for the rest of the year. What are some of your favorite pumpkin recipes?
Most of us always bring leftovers home from restaurants. But how many of us actually take boxes or containers from home so not to use styrofoam or plastic containers? Have you ever used stainless steel containers?
Since I lived in Spain way before college I always loved eating Spanish Paella. Of course much as any traditional national dish there are hundreds of ways to make it and each family has his/her own recipe they follow. I have always loved most those made with chicken and shellfish along with some vegetables of course. This is certainly not the cheapest of dishes to make due to the amount of she
Have you ever learned a new recipe and you like it so very much that you will find every excuse to repeat it over and over again? Meanwhile your family is getting real tired of it, yet you keep on doing it. Well this is it. This recipe was actually one I decided to test mostly because goat cheese is not my favorite (unless mixed in salad or disguised some other way. Lo and behold... I got h
The other day I bought some oxtail as it was on sale. Is it just me, or has oxtail tripled its price in the recent years? Usually I make oxtails with lentils or beans. but was not quite in the mood for a cold night's dinner. So thanks to a Facebook group I belong to, I decided to make something I had never made before. As I had never made Machaca, I started to google and read all
Have you noticed that since January of 2012 I have been barely blogging? Yeah.. me too and I do not like it. Ohhh.. I can come up with thousand of excuses, such as am too tired, too much work, always running around chauffeuring two daughters and one exchange student, and... more often than not in pain. Ok, here is the part that if you are a guy, better off close this browser right now as am abo
A while back i decided to try this recipe and oh man, am i glad I did... Everyone absolutely loved it and it is a perfect thing to bring to a potluck or your kids' teachers. They will love you forever–unless they are dieting of course and then they may not be very happy with you. Also this is such an easy recipe that get your kids involved in making them with you. Just the idea of actually m
Wow.. seems like it has been a while I have posted. Actually indeed it has been way too long. Yet I have been busy in the kitchen on a daily basis, just no time to write here but will try to get back to it yet again. This recipe, Goat Cheese with Olives, Lemon and Thyme is actually the reason I am back here as I tested it a while ago and since have made it so very many times, seems I cannot get en
Here in Wisconsin, not much is celebrated apart from a few restaurants and / or bars that will have something special for Mardi Gras. Back home in Portugal everyone has been celebrating it since the weekend, with parties all over the place, parades and lots of food, drinks and dancing. Also even though far from the other side of the pond my parents are celebrating their 50th anniversary and on
The other night our international Thai student decided to make dinner for us and two of her friends as a little celebration for the end of her first semester here at our local high school. As she was looking through her Thai cookbook I was trying to find the same version online and in English to simplify the conversions. That is when we found the site Temple of Thai which had the sa
This is an awesome and easy recipe to make for a weeknight. Everyone absolutely loved it and the best part is that you can use this as a base then add whatever pleases your heart.
Am I kidding? Actually... not I am not. BUT what is important is to know where this tongue comes from. This is the second year that we get 1/8 to 1/4 of a cow from a local farm, so I feel comfortable with other less typical parts such as a cow tongue. What is the end result taste of cow tongue? Depending on how you cook it, as long as it boils for a while, it is a very tender meat that easil
Yum yum yum... A perfect addition to your grilled steak. Sweet, caramelized tomatoes made to perfection. Try this recipe next time you buy some cherry tomatoes.
MKEfoodies is Co-Sponsoring a Cherry Recipe Contest. So if you have an absolutely amazing recipe that uses tart cherries or want to try to come up with one, head over to #MKEfoodies to learn all about it.
Every winter we enjoy making this dish or meal should I say, especially when we have family staying over. This one of course is a hit with kids whatever age, even though of course the older ones have more fun with it as they actually interact and cook their own meats, while toddlers still need our help. The tough one here was to cook the beef pieces fast enough for our little toddler girl
This is a recipe I grew up with and absolutely love making it as soon as the weather gets colder. Kids love it as it is cheesy and has lots of ham. You can easily substitute the cauliflower for brocoli if your kids prefer that. Or even better add both of them. INGREDIENTS for the béchamel 1 stick of salt butter 2 cups of flour 6 cups of milk salt and pepper to taste INGREDIENTS for t
I know I know it has been a while since I last posted and am sure some will be.... wow.. she's actually blogging again? Indeed I am and hope this to be a new year resolution to keep on going. Please feel free to be on my case if I fall off the wagon again. I was going through the stats and was surprised to see that the top 5 recipes of 2011 were mostly desserts and seafood. And here they are:
There is something to be said about Fall and starting to eat nice soups to warm your soul. Portuguese certainly are well known for their soups, some are meals in themselves. I must say I prefer the lighter type of soups but also enjoy hearty soups especially for those hectic weekdays evenings there is no time to cook a meal on time. Here is a list of soups I absolutely love: Lettuce Soup - a n
With a Thai daughter... Thai food. This was a recipe I tried from Leite's Culinaria site. Everyone absolutely loved it, even the little toddler, even though I decided to remove some of its broth aside and add the spiciness onto it, then only my husband, our sleepy head and I added it back to the soup. This way the soup for the dancer and the toddler was not as spicy. Even though it was not
On weekdays we are always rushing from one of the kids activities to another, and now with me having to do physical therapy does not help either, so easy meals are always welcome. Unfortunately as I was in a rush I did not measure all ingredients I added but here is the general idea. DIRECTIONS Boil the shrimps in salt water and a few dry chili peppers Remove the shrimps and keep the
I still cannot believe 3 years have passed since our little girl was born. It was almost 4 years ago we moved to WI from sunny North Carolina. A few days after we arrived here, just before Christmas a huge snow storm hit Wisconsin and the snow kept on mounting throughout that winter. In February I started a new job and within a few weeks at the new job I found out I was pregnant after be
Soon after we arrived back home it was time to throw a party and enjoy all the goodies we brought back with us. So we hosted a cheese and wine party, well along with other foods. One of my absolutely favorite cheeses, Queijo da Serra, from the mountains of the Northern Center part of Portugal - a very soft sheep milk cheese This is always a favorite of my husband - Queijo da
What is Purslane? Believe it or not, most likely you have them growing in your yard and cannot wait to try to get rid of them as they are seen as a weed. But STOP... do NOT kill these amazing weeds. They make an amazing soup. And here it is: INGREDIENTS 2 handfuls of purslane leaves 3 large onions cut in slices 2 whole garlic cloves 1 egg per person 1 bay leaf 2 medium size potato
As my teen had just learned all about the European Medieval times in middle school, oddly enough during our stay back home Sintra was hosting a Medieval Festival. The toddler was a little scared with a few of the personas walking around but we all still enjoyed it quite a bit. We ended the day at a small Chapel in Ulgueira where they have musical happenings almost on weekly basis.
As the last days approach, it becomes tough to think of anything. So much still to do, people to see, fun be had, yet suddenly it is the last night an you wonder how did these two weeks fly by. It is always the same thing, realize one to get back to one's everyday responsibilities yet wonder why not simply here, near family, good friends, beautiful weather, the beaches and of course the
I had started working on this post still during our vacation, but as days of departure started to approach it became tougher to keep on updating, so here it is. On the second day we had a simple breakfast then my sister took me all over her town especially to a store where they had the freshest meats and fish. Then we headed to another delicatessen - La Abulense, where the owner was nice enough to
I never thought I would stay for such a long time without blogging, but our last days in Portugal flew back, then we arrived here and had two days prior to opening our home and family to our new addition an International student we are hosting, Miss sleepy head! Then school restarted, getting used to one more and her schedule of school and extra curriculum activities, then dance and so on and I
Callos Madrillena We arrived early in Madrid and came straight to my sister's house in Vilanueva de la Cañada. After a nice dip in the pool we had lunch which consisted of Callos - Tripes and tiny fava beans with jamón. Habitas con jamon - Baby fava beans with jamón Of course after lunch we all had a nice siesta then more time in the pool and shortly after time for dinner - cha
Little toddler made a few new friends The last two days were pretty uneventful. Day 5 after waking up pretty late as usual we went to the beach downtown Cascais and relaxed, played in the sun, sand and ocean. At lunch we enjoyed some fried smelts. Something the little toddler absolutely loved. At night time we went to another local restaurant
So this morning I received a message from someone I do not even know through facebook. This person decided to contact me to thank me for what I try to do by spread the Portuguese culture and gastronomy in the States. The reason he found out about it is because he is a subscriber to the Portuguese newspaper in the States called Luso-Americano. So the article from the Milwaukee Sentinel became trans
Today part of the family left for Spain early in the morning. We stayed here apart from the teen. It was a lazy day, went to the daily store activities with my Mother in Almoçageme, then headed home where we had a dirty rice with beans and fried smelts for lunch (at 4pm) and nap time. Supermarket in Almoçageme At night time we met with friends in Ericeira, a tad north of where we are, al
Being the last day in Portugal for my sister and nieces (and teen who went to Madrid with them), we went to a local restaurant here in Azoia called Casa do Luis and enjoyed simple, traditional yet fantastic food as usual. Between all of us we had lamb chops, broiled octopus (similar to the one I make but with big octopus), a grilled fish (my toddler ate) and some desserts. Cured ham - p
Thursday the weather was even cooler and windier so we decided to do some tourism through Sintra and Cascais. TO park in SIntra can turn out to be quite a challenge so we parked the cars in São Pedro de SIntra, then walked through tight roads that amazingly enough are two-ways yet one would never imagine such. When in Sintra we had just a few little snacks such as croquetes de carne (meat croquets
On Wednesday we went to the Praia das Maças, but again the weather is not cooperating. Strong winds make it almost unbearable to be at the beach. We found though a little area near some rocks where at least the toddler had fun playing with the sand and making a pool with it along with her castle! Back to the farm we passed by Almoçageme where we picked up grilled chickens with piri-piri and
On Tuesday we went to the beach close to Estoril. Unfortunately the weather has not been cooperating and has been very windy. So every morning we check online to see which beach seems to have the least wind. Estoril area seemed to be the best. It was still a tad windy but we enjoyed a few hours at the beach, laying down, playing in the water, making castles and my toddler running after the seagull
Above all, I have to keep on reminding myself... Have the camera with me at ALL times so that I could keep on taking photos throughout these days I am spending in Portugal. Our plane arrived a little over an hour late and with our two daughters one on each side I barely slept. We arrived at my parents house and all had some good bread and butter. Later we went to the restaura
One the the pies my Mother ABSOLUTELY loved when we lived in NC was the Key Lime pie. There is a small restaurant - Rippington's - downtown Waxhaw which was one of my favorite. Everything I tried there was not only fantastic, fresh and with high quality ingredients. That was the first place my Mother tried the Key Lime pie and let me tell you after that we never had the same luck in finding an
A while back I had written this recipe, but once I made my GrandMother's I realized this latter one was MUCH better, so here it is. As awkward as this may sound, this soup is absolutely spectacular. All that have tried it cannot believe it is actually made with lettuce. It is very delicate and just as good hot as cold. This is yet another soup my teen will get from the fridge and dri
So some of you may know... I am NOT a chicken breast person, but this recipe is changing my mind. What can I tell you? It was nice and moist, EXTREMELY tasty and the surprising tastes in the stuffing were amazing.
As we are getting close to leave on vacation, I have been going through the fridge and see what I need to finish so not to have to throw food away. I had (and still have) quite a few herbs I needed to use, so that is how this meal started. INGREDIENTS 1 whole chicken (about 3.5 to 4 pounds) 8 tbsp of butter juice from 1 lemon 1tbsp of chopped thyme 1tbsp of chopped cila
This was actually a recipe I tested and totally loved it. I have made it often since and is such a great choice for summer hot days. I believe that due to its sweetness kids end up also liking it. Two words: fresh and exquisite!
So we finally decided to forget about a vegetable garden this year, so most of our sprouts are now in containers. Will be easier to maintain them until next spring when we clean up the vegetable garden area. Meanwhile that first flower bed we started is looking better by the day as things are really starting to grow. I may have said it in an earlier post, so forgive m
Not being American I never knew about Mac & Cheese until I came to the States. I recall that was the one thing that my husband really missing from the States when we moved to Portugal after graduating. So his Mother would send him packages of Mac & Cheese for him. I liked them alright but I would certainly have been able to live without it, until.... we tested this recipe. Then sudde
The other morning I was debating what to eat, then I remembered I had some frozen shrimp. So as I have been avoiding eating pasta and other carbs, hoping in some way to loose a few pounds prior to going on vacation to Portugal, I decided to make a curry as it goes so very well over steamed veggies. Of course I still made rice for the rest of the family though. I did not even know if I had all
Some of you know I have traveled all over growing up due to my Father's job. I was actually born in Tunisia and thanks to such my Mother learned how to cook quite a few amazing dishes from Tunisia. I left Tunisia when I was about 2 years old so never really had any recollections. My Parents told me how Arabic was my first language, how when Mahmood would take me to the fish market I would stuf
ok, do NOT get scared of the title PLEASE! It is actually really, REALLY good. That is the direct translation and I recognize it sounds a tad scary especially after reading some of my other posts, you may be thinking, there is no way I will even try this. But how can you go wrong with sweet condensed milk and eggs? that is, apart from all the calories you will ingest yet so well worth it. I
I enjoy helping my mom with cooking but i also enjoy creating my own experiments such as this one which was created with a special sauce i like to make that goes on the ribs. Many times before this, I was always just looking around in the pantry and fridge for random spices or sauces that would go well together but finally this time I decided to write this all down. I had two of my friends
Well this past week we barely did much apart from my teen and hr friend Miss Smiley helping out weeding some beds. Last weekend with the party nothing happened either. We are finally though 100% done with one flower bed. So after taking everything out, dealing with weeds and grass growing, cleaning up the dirt as much as we could, wetting the ground, adding Preen and layers of newspapers to help p
Ok, so let me start by explaining fried chicken is not one of my favorite dishes, but as I had never done it before I decided to test not one but two recipes. I must admit that I became a fan of fried chicken and I think the reason is that there is nothing like true homemade fried chicken and eating it nice and steaming. I do realize that some people prefer it warm or even cold, but through th
Throughout the summer I have my teen here at home so I actually have to think of lunch when we have no leftovers from the night before. As we went out to some brand new friends' house last night and had an amazing pasta dish, this morning I suddenly realized I HAD to come up with something for lunch. So as I had some mixed green, shredded carrots, a tiny leftover of crumbled blue cheese as w
