It’s been a while. I’ve been mostly eating away during this vacation in Brazil, but I also found a couple of opportunities to cook with relatives in a leisurely way – a rare case when you have little people around. It is Christmas time and it still does not feel like it. Maybe after 10… Continue reading rabanada: a brazilian christmas tradition
If you are a local (Washington DC area) and you have not yet tried Junction Bakery & Bistro, wait no further. You will find high ceilings, big windows, beautiful floor tiles, not your usual pastries (chia and quinoa or chocolate and hazelnut bars), great coffee and a small but exciting menu. I’ve been going there with a… Continue reading Junction Bakery & Bistro + sweet potato grilled sandwich
You are probably in full Thanksgiving mode now, or you are all set and just doing the countdown for the cooking marathon to start. I am actually all done – our thanks were given during Canadian Thanksgiving this year, on Columbus Day. Now I am just going through the supermarket aisles wishing I could do it all over again. Call me… Continue reading thanks given and a lovely pie
My editor (and husband) is back from a work trip to Bali. Yay! I’m back. Don’t judge, but we’ve gone crazy over the past few years fulfilling our kids’ wishes with “theme” cakes such as this insane lego cake, which involved me and Romas spending hours to mold fondant into lego pieces while binge watching House of Cards. How… Continue reading Sandy L. + Sarah B. = Mari C. (or carrot cake)
I live in this wooded charming old street with no sidewalks and old homes. The kind of neighborhood where you can rely on someone to get your kids from the bus stop if you are late, or drop your infant off at night as you rush to the ER because your daughter fell and needs stitches. Or when you have to… Continue reading stuffed halapeño peppers
The two cute pumpkins on the left may be laughing, but they don’t know what awaits them. They served their purpose well: they were carved by the children themselves this year for the very first time! I am impressed. It gave the kids hours of entertainment and a break for us. I still got to carve Cecilia’s pumpkin… Continue reading butternut squash and coconut compote (doce de abóbora com coco)
It is 29℃ in Alexandria right now (or 84℉ to locals). I know, since I’ve been living here for almost 10 years, you may think that I should be using Fahrenheit by now. But when I was an exchange student in Michigan a billion years ago, there was already talk about adopting the metric system. So I’ll keep on waiting. This heat… Continue reading rigatoni and the last tomatoes
Brazilian desserts are typically pretty sweet and a lot of them use sweetened condensed milk, like these chocolate fudgy-like truffles called brigadeiros (pronounced bree-ga-DAY-ros). The most popular sweet in Brazil, eaten from north to south, by rich and poor, they were traditionally rolled in sprinkles and served at children’s birthday parties (we used to eat at least 5 of those at a… Continue reading brigadeiros
I call the kids for snack time and offer them pear juice. Green pear juice? After the first sip, they want more. Had I invited them to sample delicious cucumber pear juice, or zucchini pear and ginger juice, they would have been frowning at me and trying to negotiate some sort of deal that involves a candy.… Continue reading zucchini pear juice
Four years ago minus one kid, we had a successful trip to Europe with my sister. So, when we learned that she would be living in England for a year, we saw another opportunity (or excuse) for an adventure. The Queen is not as popular as Harry Potter at our house, so a visit to the Warner Bros. Studio… Continue reading London
Hearts of Palm 