Apple-Cider Cheese Fondue

Everybody's into seasonal things these days.  It seems like every year there are more and more expectations about what we should do, wear, eat during each new season.  Or maybe this is nothing new.  Maybe I just missed the memo while I was busy playing at the beach year round.  And maybe I am just noticing it more today because, well, we are more share-y and connecty these days.  (I would like those words to be adjectives, so I made them so.  I am sorry to all of you language buffs out there!)

Either way, I have clearly been missing out.  I mean, besides Christmas and Easter, 4th of July and Thanksgiving, there have never been special foods around me, nor was I aware that you are supposed to change every pillow in your house each tilt of the earth.

Ok, for the food part I was missing out.  The whole super-decoration thing?  Yeah... I have Christmas pillows and I have every-other-time-of-the-year pillows.  I think I will stick with that.

But the other thing I have been missing out on?  Fall activities.

DUDE.  Apple picking is the bomb.  And corn mazes?  Well, I can't tell you much about them as I have never done one, but I imagine it is pretty cool, too.  I will let you know when I find out.  And I will find out this year.

I had two thoughts while I was picking our apples: "Why haven't we done this before???" (as the orchard is pretty close to our house) and "I am so grateful for those who do this for me everyday!" (as it is fun for an hour, but I cannot imagine being out there all day long, everyday.  My gratitude goes out to all the farmers and field workers who do this for us.)

When I came home I had some different thoughts: "What am I going to do with all of these apples?"

Well, I've figured out one thing... apple cider cheese fondue!

I would have never thought of mixing cheese and apple.  Chocolate?  Yes, most definitely.  Caramel?  Peanut butter?  Of course!  But cheese?

Yet it works.  And it is simple.

A cup of cider, a bunch of cheese, a little bit of corn starch, and a dash on nutmeg.  Five minutes from start to finish, and a perfect afternoon snack during this season that we are enjoying.  Or pretending to enjoy, as it is a nice 84 degrees outside, no humidity in the air.

Ok, so I may have missed out on some things living in California, but pleasant weather is not one of them...

APPLE-CIDER CHEESE FONDUE

From Rachael Ray Everyday, October 2013

SERVES 6  •  PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES  •  TOTAL TIME: 5 MINUTES

ingredients

• 1 cup cider
• 8 ounces yellow cheddar, shredded
• 8 ounces Monterey Jack, shredded
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• a dash of nutmeg
• sliced apples, for serving

directions

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the cider to a simmer over medium heat. In a medium bowl, toss the cheeses with the cornstarch. Gradually stir the cheese mixture into the cider until melted and smooth. Add nutmeg to taste. Transfer to a fondue pot. Serve with sliced apples.

COST: $6.34        COST PER SERVING (6): $1.06

Gluten Free    //    30 Min or Less    //   Vegetarian

Foodbuzz 24x24: A Food Lover's Guide to Brazilian Beaches

Oi Amigos!

I am sitting here in an internet cafe' in Rio de Janeiro, writing to you on a keyboard with funny letters.  It is taking me quite some time to get this typed out, but the food I have to share with you is too good to be missed.  I am so happy Foodbuzz liked my idea of doing a progressive food party on the beach here in Brazil!

See that handsome man?  The sad news for you is that he is taken.  But the good news is that he is going to take us on a tour of his favorite foods to eat on the beach!  One of the many advantages of being married to a Brazilian man (and a hot one, I think)...

First stop:  Quejinho

This salty grilled cheese stick is my favorite.  Brazilians have a different kind of cheese they often use... one that doesn't melt easily, almost like a hunk of feta or something.  Put a stick through it, grill it, and enjoy.

Second stop: Agua de Coco

Close your eyes and imagine you are sitting on the beach in Copacabana.  You get thirsty so you reach out to get something refreshing to drink.  What is in your hand?  If you said a fresh coconut, you are right!

You have probably already read all about my love of coconut water and its many health attributes, but let me say it again: this stuff is wonderful.  The taste may take a little getting used to, but once you do, well... you will be hooked.  And nature can't be wrong, right?

Third stop: Churros (pronounced like shoe-hose)

I know that you know churros.  But do you know Brazilian Churros?

This nice man was not only kind enough to pose for me, but he gave us a discount.  I guess he knew we love his product.

Here is the thing that makes these churros so darn good: they are prepared right then, batter -- deep-fry -- roll in cinnamon, and then they are filled with yumminess.  In my case that yumminess is chocolate.  But you can get doce de leite or coconut, too.  All three are great.  Which would be why we had to go back for more...

Fourth Stop: Açai na Tigela

 
You saw this one earlier this week.  No wait, you saw the healthy version of this earlier this week.  But I found something slightly different on the beach... açai with something akin to cocoa pebbles and with sugar and powdered milk and all kinds of sweet stuff.

I am not going to lie.  It was pretty amazing.  Clearly my husband thought so, too :)

Fifth and Final Stop: Peixe Frita com Suco de Abacaxi

Doesn't that look good?!  It is, trust me.  Fresh from the ocean (as our table was right there in the sand, the waves crashing at our feet), battered and fried.  Squeeze some lime on top and you are in fish heaven.  The only thing that could make it better is a nice cold glass of pineapple juice...

Put them together, add the soundtrack that comes along with beach life, and you have the perfect meal.

And that, my friends, is what Brazilian beaches are really all about.  Some may say it is a place to see beautiful women or hunk-a-hunky men (which can be true, but not always); others might think it is about the sand and the surf.  But I am here to tell you that the food is where it is at.  Don't believe?  Go try it yourself.  Brazil is waiting for you!

Not Barefoot in the Kitchen -- Kale Quesadillas

Did you know that green is my favorite color?  Well, it is.  I like a lot of colors, but my absolute most favorite is green.  Which is one of the reasons I like Spring so much.  St. Patrick's Day is never a really big deal to me but I do appreciate the fact that everything gets to be green on that day. 

Look at my smile.  There is no denying my love for this color of life that is surrounding me!  That's because good things come in green: grassy fields, palm trees, money... see? 

And kale.  Kale comes in green, too.

That makes it a perfect ingredient for St. Patrick's Day food. 

I know a lot people don't really like it, but in Brazil they looooove kale.  I have never met a Brazilian who doesn't like it.  In fact, I never even knew what it was until I was there and had lots of couve served to me.  For all I knew it was a vegetable native to that land of plenty.  It wasn't until my husband desperately needed some (or so he said) that I searched around and found out that it was sitting in my local grocery store all along.  Silly me.

Something else that is green that I am loving is this top.  I have had it for about a year now, but it is still one of my favorites.  And the belt... the best part is that the it came with the shirt.  For $17 at Love Culture I got not only a cute top but an incredibly useful and sassy belt, too.  Then I was able to save some green ;)

Belts have become all the rage lately.  Well, I guess not just lately, they come and go as all fashion does, but right now they are quite popular.  I don't own all that many, three actually, but these three have served me well. 

My first was this one:

Yes, I call it the Santa belt because, as you might be able to see, it looks like the belt Santa wears around his bowl-full-of-jelly-belly. 

Then I got the one you see in today's pictures.

My everything belt.  It has found a prominent place in my wardrobe.

And last, but definitely not least, is my favorite:

Yeah, I name my belts... but you must admit, this one is kind of Madonna-ish with it's little studs and all.  I got it at H&M, and Madonna is actually one of their designers, so who knows... it might actually be a "Madonna Belt".

The thing I like about belts is this: they are one simple thing you can do that make your outfit go "almost there" to "complete".  I must thank my friend and colleague Patricia for encouraging me to start using them in my attire.  She has a great eye for accessories, one that I am trying to develop.  But I am learning.  Like with this headband.  It is something that is so simple, yet makes a big difference.  And it was only $5 at Charlotte Russe.  What a steal!

So back to that other green... the kale.  I was flipping through the latest issue of Everyday Food and saw this little header:  "More ways to give kale kid appeal" and under it were some great ideas:

1. Tear, toss with oil, and bake for crisp chips                (check!  Did that last October.  Yum.)
2. Replace some basil with blanched kale when making pesto
3. Add sauteed kale to grilled cheese or quesadilla

I didn't even need to go on.  Sure, the list had a few more, but I honed in on what I wanted: kale quesadillas.

We rarely have tortillas in the house, but I did have lavash bread.  Kale and cheese were already in the fridge, as well.  In fact, all of the ingredients were in that "now what do I do with them?" phase that food goes through when you have more than you need for a recipe but no good idea of how to get rid of them. 

BINGO! 

I knew exactly how to get rid of them...

By Jove, we have a winner!  I just added a little Feta (also in that limbo stage that food lives in sometimes) and man oh man, it was good.  So good that we had it two days in a row.  And then right now as my husband asked what I was working on and I showed him he said, "Oh.... *drool*  that's GOOD!"

Kid appeal?  Shoot, this had adult appeal. 

There you have it folks, Kale Quesadillas.  An unexpected turn of events, but a highly welcomed one.  And green, perfect for this time of year.  Enjoy!


INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 pack lavash bread
• 1/2 bunch fresh kale
• Cheese -- your favorite
• 1/2 cup of Feta
• Spreadable butter
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Chop the kale in to small sections.  Over medium heat, put the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet.  When warm, add kale and a dash of salt.  Stir occasionally until sauteed, about 5 minutes.  When finished, set kale aside and clean out skillet. 
2. Using lavash bread, kale, cheese, and feta, make quesadillas.  Put butter on the sides of the bread that will touch the pan to help grill.  At this point I am going to assume you know what to do... so go for it! :)

Cost: $5.68                   Cost Per Serving (4) $1.42

Add a salad on the side for a complete meal, and it is still under $2 per serving. 

Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

I have a super big perk to my job: free lunch.  Yes, I am a little spoiled, I know.  During school vacations I have a different story, however.  I have to provide lunch for myself.  But I like that.  I take these days to make things that Mr. Brazil does not believe is real food, such as a grilled cheese sandwich with a side of tomato soup.

YUM.

You all know how to make a grilled cheese, I am sure.  And if you don't, well... it isn't that hard.  There are a couple of things that I would like to point out that you need in order to make the perfect (according to me) grilled cheese sandwich:

Put stuff inside of it!  Today's sandwich had my typical fillings: avocado and tomato.  Really, though, you can put anything inside of it.  My absolute favorite is my "Tropical Reuben Grilled Cheese".  It has a secret spread, tuna, and sourkraut.  Weird?  Maybe.  Delicious?  Definitely.

I believe the best sandwiches are made with sourdough bread and Colby cheese, except I use very little Colby myself.  Those slices on top are there to show you what yours should look like.  That orange stuff on the bottom is mine -- and are actually not cheese slices, but faux-cheese, some soy-based stuff.  Cheese and my stomach have a touch-and-go relationship, so I use my fake cheese and buy Colby for the others who might be around.  You, however, should just use cheese if you can. 

Of course, you want to have buttery-spread on both sides so they grill evenly and crispy.  One other thing I like to do is place a smaller lid on the top.  This helps keep the heat in while pushing down on the sandwich, allowing the cheese to melt faster and all the ingredients inside not to fall out.

Now for the soup.  I would like to say I made it from scratch, but I did not.  I grabbed some off the shelf at Trader Joe's, Organic Creamy Tomato Soup.  IT IS AMAZING.  I have been eating bowl after bowl.  My husband is starting to get worried that I am going to turn orange or something, but so far I am OK.  I think I am going to go buy some more tomorrow...

Perfect for a rainy day, or any other day for that matter. 

COST: $2.45 per sandwich & bowl of soup