Inspiration: Give Me Flour

I have discovered another fellow blogger whose pictures/layout/everything inspire me to learn more.  I love the subject matter of the pictures and the way she captures the essence of the food in a small but powerful glimpse.  The way she lays them out on her blog is fabulous and I would like to find out what editing software she uses to make the taped-on-the-wall look.  Mostly, though, I love the way she makes the little recipes in the pictures. 

SO BEAUTIFUL!

One other great point is that she is Brazilian and her recipes are things that my husband drools over if I just mention...  time to get in the kitchen and make some Brazilian cooking magic happen!  (And I must give her props, she is learning English and is blogging proficiently in it.  I, on the other hand, am learning Portuguese and am no where near being able to write in it.  But it will come, have no fear!)

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the world of Amanda Areias.  Click on any of the pictures below to be taken to her blog, Give Me Flour.  (All photos belong to her, not me.)

Freckle Juice

The Colors of Vegas (Wordless Post)

Recipe for the paella (dish at the top) coming soon...

Quick Fix: Hawaiian Meatballs

I know in an ideal world I would come home from work every night with a smile on face saying, "Let's get in the kitchen and make magic happen!"  But as we all know, this is not an ideal world, and some nights magic does not want to happen in my kitchen.  Or maybe it wants to, but I quickly stomp on it and say, "NO!  Not tonight!"  It could be because I am tired or it could be because I just don't feel like it, or like tonight's case, it could be because I spent enough hours cooking this weekend that I have no cooking creativity left in me.  What I do have, however, is a bunch of rice.  A BUNCH.  The rest of the leftovers from the party were chomped on over the last few days, but the rice remains.  So I grabbed some things I could put together to go with rice -- some easy things:

Three simple ingredients: 1/2 jar of Soyaki (basically soy sauce with garlic and some other stuff tossed in... $2.79 a jar), pineapple chunks minus the juice (20 oz. can for $1.29), and some meatballs (which you can easily in a variety of flavors where ever you go... turkey, pork, beef, veggie, it's up to you... about $3.50).

 

 I tossed it all in the pan...

... and let it cook on medium-high heat for 20 minutes, stirring once in a great while.

That, my friends, is dinner.

And it is delicious.  So what if I didn't make it all from scratch?  I did make it, or rather, throw it all together and let it cook.  But whatever, it tastes good, my belly is happy, and my rice is slowly dwindling away...

COST: $6.68 (including rice)   PER SERVING (4): $1.67
Throw a little salad on the plate to go with it, and you are just at about $2. 
Sweet.

Foodbuzz 24x24: Festa Brasileira

I feel so honored that Foodbuzz selected my proposal for this month's 24x24.  For those of you that don't know, every month 24 food bloggers around the world are selected to host a dinner party on the same day, making 24 dinner parties in 24 hours.  My theme, Festa Brasileira, was chosen and I did a little happy dance.  And then I panicked.  Really, what do I really know about making Brazilian food, other than how to cook beans?!  Luckily I am blessed with great friends who rallied behind me, making this not only a dinner party, but a learning experience and a time for Brazilians and Americans to come together to make something fabulous happen.

In addition to all the prep work that happened the night before, there were a total of six cooks working in shifts for three hours before the party began -- and several who continued to work throughout the party.  All in all, we logged about 20 cooking hours between us... not counting the three hours spent driving around finding all the (sometimes hard to find) ingredients.  WHEW!

But all that work paid off, because we had amazing dishes waiting for us in the end.

THE MENU

(translated into English)

Appetizers

Brazilian Cheese Bread

Fried Yuca

Salad

Stuffed Tomato Baskets

Main Dishes

Beans and Rice with Farofa (Brazilian bread crumbs)

Hidden Meat Casserole

Steak Rolls

Desserts

Brazilian Custard

Passion Fruit Mousse

Drinks

Pineapple Juice with Mint

Being a Brazilian party, it seemed fitting to invite Brazilians!  Not only do they like to have a good time, but they look good doing it :)  Luckily for me, we live in an area that has many Brazilians around, and being married into that community, I had no trouble coming up with the list of invitees.  This list, however, was carefully planned: I invited young married couples (1 fully American, 2 fully Brazilian, and 3 half-and-half couples like Paulo and myself) and each couple knew about two of the other couples (but no more) so that new friendships could be formed.  And it was a success!  Everyone enjoyed themselves, the food was raved over, and in the end phone numbers were exchanged and plans were made to meet up again.  

I would like to say a huge obrigada! to the following people: Mindy and Caleb for giving us space to make this happen; Daniela for helping me come up with a truly Brazilian menu; Esther for taking the lead in the kitchen when I did not understand the recipes or what to do with them and having extreme patience with my attempts in Portuguese; Esther, Daniela, Caleb, Paulo, and Vicente for helping in the kitchen; Mindy for setting up the tables and chairs and making it look so nice; Mindy's parents for being great support with washing dishes and taking pictures; my mother-in-law, Nilza, in Brazil who shared her favorite recipe with us; and all of our friends who came out to celebrate.  This, my first dinner party ever, was a success because of YOU!  Muito obrigada, todos! 

And for you, my dear reader, so that you may enjoy a glimpse into the beauty and wonder that is Brazil and see why we were so eager to celebrate this beautiful culture, click on the video below.

Obviously, there are a lot of recipes here... and not all of them are possible to make for those that don't have access to Brazilian ingredients. However, here are the ones that I believe you will immensely enjoy and you can actually find the all the required ingredients.

Mandioca Frita (Fried Yuca)
INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs. yuca (Can be found at Whole Foods or Mexican style grocery store)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 t salt

DIRECTIONS:
1. Peel the yuca and chop in to pieces similar to what you would do to make potato salad, keeping it rectangular shape rather than cubed.
2. Boil the chopped yuca for about 15 minutes, until tender (about the same tenderness as potatoes for potato salad).
3. Let yuca cool. Heat the oil in a frying on medium-high heat and add the yuca and salt, cooking until a light golden brown. Let dry on papertowel lined dish.

Escondidinho de Carne (Hidden Meat)
INGREDIENTS:
3 lbs. yuca
1/2 cup milk
3 T butter
salt
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 T vegetable oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 small can of tomato paste
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. Prepare the yuca like mashed potatoes (peel, cube, boil, drain, mix with the milk and butter, salt to taste). Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. In a large frying pan, add the oil and heat on medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until light colored, about two minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for another two minutes.
3. Add the ground beef to the onion and tomato mixture. Add salt, about 1 Tablespoon (more or less depending on your preference). Cook until meat is no longer pink. Add the tomato paste and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. In a large casserole dish, spread 1/2 of the mashed yuca. Next, add the meat mixture, spreading across the entire casserole dish. Use the remaining 1/2 mashed yuca to cover the meat, "hiding" it (remember the name of the recipe? There you go...). Sprinkle the cheese over the top and bake for 30 minutes.

Bife a Rolet (Steak Rolls)
INGREDIENTS:
10 thin slices of Silverside beef, about 5 inches wide and 10 inches long
5 bacon slices, cut in half
1 tomato
1/2 onion
1/2 bell pepper
1 carrot
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 lime
1 teaspoon of salt

DIRECTIONS:
1.  In a dish, season the meat with the juice of the lime and the salt.  Set aside.
2.  Chop the tomato, onion, bell pepper, and carrot into 5 inch-long slivers -- ten of each vegetable.
3.  Taking one piece of meat at a time, place one piece of bacon and one of each of the vegetable pieces.  Roll like a burrito, tightly wrapping it so each end is covered and nothing can fall out.  Secure with toothpicks (2-3).
4.  Add the oil to the bottom of the pressure cooker.  Place the beef rolls inside.  Cook in the pressure cooker on medium-high heat for about 20 minutes after the pressure builds up.  When it is finished, be careful to let the pressure die down before you open the lid.

Pudim de Leite (Brazilian Custard)
INGREDIENTS:
4 Eggs
1 Can of sweetened condensed milk
Equal amount of regular milk
1 c. sugar
1/3 c. water

DIRECTIONS:
1.  Mix the first three ingredients together in a blender.
2.  Spread into bundt cake pan or a bain-marie pan. Bake in a water bath for 40 min.
3.  Melt the sugar in a small pan, adding the water and stirring to make smooth.  Add this syrup to the top of the custard when the custard is complete.

Suco de Abacaxi com Hortela (Pineapple Juice with Mint)
INGREDIENTS:
1 pineapple, peel cut away and cubed
10 mint leaves
Ice
Sugar to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Blend the first three ingredients in the blender.  Add sugar to sweeten.  Enjoy!

Cooking with Friends: Caleb (Meatballs with Cream Sauce)

I would like to introduce you to our friend Caleb. 

Photo by Tim Swensen

Caleb is good at many things.  As you can see, he plays some sweet guitar.  It was actually because of this guitar playing skill that Paulo and I became acquainted with him.  He plays guitar, my husband plays drums, we go to the same church, and so praise music and friendship started flowing at the same time. 

Something else Caleb is really good at is cooking.  Like, really good.  Straight-up-gourmet good.  He talks about ingredients I have never heard of before, and I just nod my head like I know what he is talking about, but really he could be speaking in Mandarin.  The few times I have helped him in the kitchen I was keenly aware of the fact that my chopping or dicing skills are lacking.  He cuts his veggies with such precision and speed, while I on the other hand chop in the roughest sense of the word.  (Really, it is going to taste the same anyway, right?)  When we eat at their house the table is beautifully set (I think this is where his wife brings her talent in) and the food is plated just so.  When they come to our house I put all the food in the middle of the table, toss some mugs of juice on the table, and tell everyone to dig in. 

You know what?  That is OK. 

It is good to have the opportunity to eat fancier cooking with the food set out in a gorgeous display and it is good to eat family style, with laughter and jokes the center of attention rather than the food itself.  Both ways are beautiful, and both ways are necessary for the human soul. 

A few months back I discovered a terrific recipe for meatballs, juicy and tender, full of flavor, covered with an equally delicious cream sauce.  Caleb, upon hearing about it, decided that he needed to try some of these meatballs and so the four of us got together: Caleb and Tiffany to cook while our significant others enjoyed the meal with us (and later washed the dishes -- oh the joy of being the cook in the family!). 

 A few days before we did this a co-worker and I were talking about cooking and she asked, "Do you know how to make a roux?" "A huh?" I responded. Clearly I did not. Or at least I didn't think so. That is until this night, when I was telling Caleb to melt the butter and whisk in flour... "Oh, we're making a roux..." I had no idea. I guess I am a gourmet cook after all and I didn't even know it! :)

Recipe from the Taste of Home Cookbook

Ingredients

• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup 2% milk
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef (90% lean)
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• CREAM SAUCE:
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can (14 ounces) chicken broth
• 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the egg, milk, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, oats, onion, parsley, salt and pepper. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-1/2-in. balls. Roll in flour, shaking off excess.
• Place meatballs on greased racks in shallow baking pans. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 10 minutes. Turn meatballs; bake 12-15 minutes longer or until meat is no longer pink.
• Meanwhile, for sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour, thyme, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add broth and cream. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
• Drain meatballs on paper towels; transfer to a serving dish. Serve with sauce; sprinkle with parsley.

COST = $8.30        PER SERVING (4) = $2.08
Plus Mashed Potatoes and Salad ~ $3.05 per serving

The Tiffany Burger

I make the best burgers.

THE BEST.

And I am not one to brag about my cooking too much.  I mean, really, I can cook, you have all seen evidence of that.  My food is pretty good.  It is tasty, for sure.  Tasty and brag-worthy are two very different things. But my burgers?  They are off the hook.  I have been told that they are better than In-n-Out Burgers on more than one occasion by more than one person.  For those of you that do not know, that is pretty much the highest compliment a burger can have... at least in my book. 

Here is the thing: In-n-out burgers are amazing because the meat is juicy, yes, but mostly because of what they put ON their burgers.  They have this amazing sauce, fresh ingredients, bread made fresh and not dry.  For fast food, In-n-Out is king.  Shoot, for food in general In-n-Out is king.

The thing that makes my burgers so good is not really what I put on them, but what I put IN them.  Wanna see what I am talking about?

There you have it: The Tiffany Burger.  (Not to be confused with burgers made of Tiffany...)

So, what's the secret?  Ketchup and onions, garlic and salt (or garlic salt...), breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and the best ingredient: chopped up basil leaves.  Wowser, this thing kicks some serious burger-booty.  Build it on a simple bun with your basic condiments, the ketchup/mayo/mustard variety, and top with cheese, tomatoes, and more basil.  I don't even flatten them in a real way, I just kind of mix all the ingredients, grab a handful, smoosh just enough to make flat-ish, and throw them in the pan.  Or the grill.  Anyway you do it will pretty much yield the same result: mind-blowing.  A treat for your taste buds, to say the least.

There you have it, my total bragging about my food.  You know what?  I don't even feel ashamed of this unabashed boasting of my skills.  Try one tonight, and you will see for yourself.

Paulo can't have just one... but they are so filling that his belly probably wishes he could.

COST = $7.95        PER SERVING (4) = $2