*engrish*

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Would you eat these?


(taken in one of the many oriental markets in Sao Paulo).
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*soup for a grey chilly summer and a greener coffee*

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After a lot of thinking, I guess the reason my mother's coffee is so much more delicious than mine is one: a cloth coffee filter. We use the same brand, the same amount of powder, and all... but that. So yesterday I premiered my new cloth coffee filter, after boiling it the previous day in coffee powder for 10 minutes so that it would lose the "new" taste. For the sake of convenience, I still used my electric coffee maker... but considering this filter is washable and lasts for years, I'll think of it as a greener approach to coffee. And yes, it DOES taste better too.

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Its been chilly for the time of the year. We are in January's and whilst the temperature should be hitting 30º C, its been around 21º maximum all week. Not to mention rainy and grayish.
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Also me and the Mister started cleaning out the mess room so the entire apartment is chaos. I realized that though I sew as an amateur, I consume as a pro. There are rolls and rolls of bias tape and satin and lace. And two (big) whole boxes of fabric waiting to become something beautiful. Honestly, amidst all that, who wants to cook?
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But I craved something warm and spicy. From the freezer came one portion of pre-cooked moyashi beans and four tiny chicken sausages. Two big cloves of garlic sautéed in olive oil, sausages and sesame seeds, salt and ground black pepper and obviously, the mashed up beans. Put it to a boil for about 6 minutes, chopped up some tomatoes and palm heart with poppy seeds and dried parsley as a side, and presto. Warm and comforting lunch in less than 20 minutes.



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This week I WILL get around to making that strawberry cheesecake. At least I hope to.
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*spicy comfort*

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I have been sick all week, sore throat and cough, so I can't really taste or smell much. As I can't taste the food, well... I've simply lost my appetite. And as I would rather spend as much time as possible in bed, I don't feel like cooking either.
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But I still get hungry, nonetheless. So after work last night, with very little desire to cook and on an empty stomach (hardly ate all day), I wandered into the kitchen. There were some tortillas in the fridge. Some frozen black beans in the icebox. So all I had to do was to pop the beans into the microwave to defrost and make some fresh salsa.
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Easy Fresh Tomato Salsa - serves two

two ripe tomatoes - chopped
one white onion - chopped
one purple onion - chopped
6 small pickled peppers or 1 jalapeno pepper - chopped
1 small garlic cloved - minced
juice from two lemons or limes
fresh or dried cilantro or parsley
olive oil
salt to taste
jalapeno tabasco sauce, to taste.

mix all ingredients together, cover and let sit for a couple hours in the fridge. Goes well with tortillas and refried beans and can be used as a vinaigrette.

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As both me and the Mister don't like cilantro, I used parsley instead. Actually this is more like Pico de Gallo than a simple Tomato Salsa. All you have to do is substitute the lime juice for apple or red wine vinegar and add a little more pepper.
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After the refried beans and the salsa were ready, I heated up the tortillas in a frying pan without oil and melted a little gouda on them, since Nacho cheese is hard to find around here.

Refried Beans

Cooked black beans with sauce
6 cloves garlic - minced
2 jalapeno peppers - chopped
bacon or sausage or other meat - chopped
half a can of beer - I will try some time with the dark variety
olive oil
other spices to taste

Sauté the garlic, meat and peppers till golden. Add the beans, and mash well. Add the beer and let simmer for a while in low heat. Serve when thick.
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Served the beans and the salsa in the tortillas. The Mister said the beans were better after they cooled because the texture was thicker, but he approved of the mexican-style quick supper I threw together. And so did I.
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After returning from the dentist and the farmers market this morning (where I got the loveliest pearl tomatoes) I decided to try out the new gadget me and the Mister picked up at our latest trip to the supermarket... A mini-cappuccino mixer. I like my coffee strong, with 0% fat milk and sweetener. And cold. Specially if its in my tumble-proof hello kitty cup. So this morning I had my coffee like this.
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Aren't these little fellows cute?
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Oh well, off to work. Spent all my time posting about food and didn't eat any. So I'll get something into my stomach when I get back.
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*?*

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A small technical problem...

I've lost my appetite. I'll be back as soon as it returns.
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*Christmas Supper*

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Even if you don't like Christmas, there is always the food. Christmas, at least in Brazil, is all about eating rich and tasty dishes, and Panetone.
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Yummy.
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Every family has their own Christmas tradition. So does mine. My mother insisted, and me and my brother traveled a good while to come spend it with our parents. Unfortunatelly, something came up, and my brother had to leave early today, so plans were changed. And it was different.
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Despite it being a habit in our country, we never have Supper. We usually do a big lunch together. But all of a sudden it was not possible, so at 10 pm we decided to cook.
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My mother prepped the Bird, and I did the sides. Well, as much as she let me do them... You know when someone keeps changing what you are trying to make because they don't like this and prefer that? Argh... Oh well, it's her kitchen.
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So at 3 am, me, mom, dad and bro enjoyed a late supper of roasted chester (which I think is a lot tastier than turkey). In the pan we also roasted potatoes, onions, sausages (I wouldn't have chosen those, but mother insisted), kabocha squash and garlic cloves. For side dishes, a warm german style potato salad (although I prefer it chunkier, it was something between a salad and mashed potatoes) with sautèed garlic and onions in butter with olives and mayo, and a big salad with differents types of lettuce, and tomatoes stuffed with a mixture of white cheese, milk cream, extra strong dijon mustard and lime juice. i also prepped a simple but tasty vinaigrette with two types of onions, fresh mint, parsley and colourful peppers with red wine vinegar, olive oil and salt.
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It was a simple and improvised Christmas supper, as my mother had been planning for a big lunch today, which ended up not happening. But it was nice, and we had chocolate to end a hearty meal while we exchanged gifts.
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Oh boy, i will definitely have to diet after all this eating. Mommy's house can really be fattening.
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