Spiced Hot Grape Punch - Grow Your Own #11

Winter is just around the corner here and I have been fixing this hot punch for friends and family in our small group that meets once a week. It is a non-alcoholic beverage, the aroma fills the air, and you can enjoy it slowly, as it is served hot. In the Summer, you can serve it cold.


This is my entry for Grow Your Own event and you can participate too! This event is about homegrown products, so if you have a garden why not celebrate the bounty of the season with a unique dish prepared with foods that you grow?

My spiced hot grape punch is made with fresh ginger from my mom and dad's garden.

Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons honey
Rind of 2 oranges
Rind of 1 lime
2 oz (50 to 60 g) sliced fresh ginger
4 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
2 apples, cored, peeled and chopped
4 cups (1 liter) unsweetened red grape juice


Directions:
1) In a large sauce pan over medium combine sugar and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil to dissolve sugar.

2) Add honey, sliced ginger, cinnamon stick, cloves, lime and orange rinds. Simmer 4 minutes. Remove rinds.

3) Add 1 cup water and simmer 5 minutes. Then add the chopped apples, the grape juice and bring to a boil again for 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Brazil and Japan - 100-year friendship

A friendship that started 100 years ago when the first Japanese immigrants arrived in the port of Santos aboard the steamship Kasato Maru on June 18, 1908. Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito is visiting the country to take part in the celebrations. An anniversary that certainly deserves to be celebrated in a special way.

Gruyere Gougères - Savory Cheese Puffs

Gougères are savory puffs or cheese balls (Pâte à choux) made with gruyere or any kind of cheese that melts and stretches... These are easy, fast and great starters for parties. That's why I am submitting this recipe for the Monthly Mingle event that Mansi at Food and Fun is hosting this month with Appetizers & Hors'Doeuvres. It is an event that Meeta of What's For Lunch Honey? started.

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/3 cup butter
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
3/4 cup grated gruyere
4 tablespoons chopped onion
Italian seasoning to taste (or any kind of dried herbs - parsley, oregano, thyme, etc.)

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 425ºF (220 ºC). Grease or line two cookie sheets (no need to grease if using non-stick sheets).

2) Place the water and butter into a saucepan and bring to a boil. On low heat add the salt and flour at once, stirring with a wooden spoon until it forms a ball.

3) Remove from heat. Transfer the mixture into a mixing bowl and let cool for a bit. Beat in the eggs, one at a time until the mixture is creamy. Add the cheese, the onion and the seasonings.

4) Drop the balls of the mixture onto a greased or lined cookie sheet using a small cookie scoop or one tablespoon, 2 inches apart.

• You can also pipe the mixture, but I prefer the cookie scoop.

5) Bake at 425ºF (220 ºC) for 15 to 20 minutes until puffs are golden brown. Serve them hot, plain or with any kind of filling, I had some eggplant antipasto and it was a great combination!

Recipe from the kitchen of: Luna

Rice with black-eyed peas - Grow your own #10

Rice and beans... another staple food here in Brazil. Every time we visit the family farm, which is in another state, the lady who works and lives there gives me black-eyed-peas that her family grows. She taught me how to make this dish called "baiao-de-dois" that is popular in the Northeast part of Brazil. This is the simplified version as you will hardly find the type of clarified butter (bottle butter) they use to cook this and the coalho cheese (a type of curd cheese).

This is my entry for this month's Grow Your Own event. If you grow or raise anything in your garden or if you received something as a gift that the giver has personally grown or raised you can participate too.

Ingredients:
1 cup black-eyed peas, cooked
2 cups of rice
4 cups water
1 cup frying cheese, cubed
1/2 cup italian smoked sausage or chorizo, sliced (I omit this sometimes)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped onions
cilantro leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1) Heat oil in a large pan. Add onions, garlic and sausage and sautée until tender. Add rice and fry it stirring it frequently. Add cooked beans, water, salt and pepper and cook for about 15 minutes until most of the water gets absorbed.

2) Add the cubed cheese and the cilantro. Turn off stove and let stand for about 5 minutes before serving.

Cooking rice like a Brazilian

Rice is a staple here in Brazil and everyone knows how to cook it. Depending on where you live you stir-fry first with oil before adding the water. That's how I like it and I learned to cook rice this way from my mom.

• When cooking rice add a few drops of lime for an extra flavor.
• To cook 1 cup dried rice, add 2 cups water.
  

Ingredients:

2 cups long-grain white rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups boiling water (or chicken broth)

Directions:

1) Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and sautée for a minute, until fragrant.

2) Add rice, let it sit for 10 seconds, then stir to coat the grains with the oil, season with salt and stir-fry about 2 minutes.

3) Add the boiling water. Cover and cook over low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Turn off the heat, remove the lid, fluff it with a fork and add the lime juice if using any. Put the lid back on and let it sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

Mother's Day was good...

Mom baked us an all time favorite cake, served plain, with coffee... Simple like that, just like mother's love...

Ingredients for mom's plain cake
2 cups cake flour
2 tablespoons cornmeal or oatbran (her secret ingredient)
1 cup sugar
1 dash salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup warm milk (another secret)
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs

1) Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Add milk and oil. Mix well.

2) In a separate small bowl, beat eggs and add to the mixture and beat one minute or about 60 strokes. The more you beat the better.

3) Bake in two small oiled and floured loaf-cake pans for 40 minutes at 375˚F (190˚C). Serve plain or with a lime glaze.

Lime and poppy seed glaze
4 tablespoons lime juice
4 tablespoons sugar
Poppy seed (optional)

1) Put lime juice and sugar in a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until the sugar is dissolved.

2) Remove from heat, poke holes in top of warm cake with toothpick or fork and spoon the warm glaze over the cooked cake. Sprinkle poppy seed.

I love this cake, because whenever I bake it for my kids I have the feeling I am doing something just like my mom used to do when I was a child. I remember her moving around the kitchen getting the ingredients and the utensils ready, turning the oven on etc. That's why I love cooking for my family, so that they can have fond memories of their childhood too.

Yogurt Parfait with Mango and Cardamom

Mango, brown sugar and cardamom! These were the three delicious ingredients on my list for this month's joust at the Leftover Queen forum! And I ended up with a parfait.

Did you know that "parfait" means literally "perfect" in French? And also it is:
1 : a flavored custard containing whipped cream and syrup frozen without stirring

2 : a cold dessert made of layers of fruit, syrup, ice cream, and whipped cream
(Merriam-Webster dictionary)

My parfait is made with frozen greek yogurt. Parfaits are usually made in layers in a tall glass, but I used a serving plate instead.
For the custard:
2 cups greek yogurt (substitutes: vanilla yogurt or ice cream)
2 to 3 tablespoons honey

For the mango syrup:
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
3 to 4 cardamom pods, split open
1/2 cup water
1 mango, peeled and sliced

1) Mix together greek yogurt and honey. Line bottom and sides of muffin pans with loose fitting plastic wrap or parchment paper. Divide the mixture between the lined muffin pans and freeze for about 2 hours.

2) In a sauce pan heat sugar, cardamom pods and water until sugar dissolves for about 5 minutes. Add mango slices and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and leave fruit to cool.

3) Remove the parfait from the freezer. Remove the plastic wrap or parchment paper. Place the parfait on serving plates and drizzle the mango syrup around each one.

Recipe adapted from Woman and Home magazine.

Courgette Salsa - Grow Your Own #9

¡Viva Cinco de Mayo!

This tasty salsa can be used as an appetizer, spooned over a steak or as salad dressing.

I used organic zucchinis (or courgettes) from the family farm located about 150 miles (about 250 km) from where we live. We go there once a month and that's when I have plenty of time to experiment with home grown ingredients.

This is my entry for Grow Your Own event that promotes the use of ingredients we grow or raise ourselves and also the dishes we make using our homegrown products. To view other entries and participating blogs, please visit Andrea's blog!

Courgette Salsa
From Woman and Home magazine

2 ripe tomatoes, core removed, finely chopped
1 medium courgette, finely chopped
2 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
finely grated zest and juice 1 lime
handful fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
3 tsp sweet chilli sauce (optional) - I used 1 tsp chilli powder
1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1) Mix the chopped tomatoes and courgette with the rest of the ingredients, plus a pinch of sugar if not using the chilli sauce. Set the salsa aside at room temperature. Serve as appetizer.

Zucchini plants

Flavors and colors from foreign lands

From India: My husband spent a few days in India and brought home some nice spices, like Curry and Garam masala, and colorful bracelets and pashminas.

From England: I set up a meeting between my husband and Val, a blogger friend whom I have not met yet. The gift exchange was mutual, we had bought each other magazines, chocolate bars and spices. The wellies are so cute...

A few spices my husband got to buy at Tesco.

A big thanks... My Moo cards are here!!!

My birthday present came in a week earlier and it was a huge surprise! A signed contract with Foodbuzz and a free gift!!! Moo mini cards with my name and blog name printed on the back of the cards that have such nice food pictures!

You have a food blog and have not yet joined Foodbuzz... Why not do it now? Just click here to sign up! Please remember to type in http://fromourhometoyours-en.blogspot as your referrer!

Thank you!

Stuffed Crab Shells - Casquinha de Siri

Stuffed crab shells or "Casquinha de siri" is a Brazilian appetizer made with sautéed crab meat, coconut milk, palm oil, tomatoes, bell peppers, parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. You bake them in scallop or crab shells, either molds made of silicone or real ones, and then sprinkle lime juice on top. These taste even better if served with cold beer and preferably on the beach!

• If you are strict vegetarian, try using shredded cabbage instead of crab meat.
  

An this recipe goes to the Leftover Queen forum! This month we had to use an ingredient from the sea, coconut and lime or lemon.

Ingredients:
1 pound (500 g) crab meat, drained
1 small onion, cubed
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and cubed
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cubed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/2 tablespoon palm oil
1 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Bread crumbs
Grated Parmesan cheese
Crab or scallop shells
Lime wedges

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°) or use the broiler inside the oven.

1) In a skillet, heat olive oil and sauté onions, garlic and bell peppers until soft. Stir in crab meat and cook 3-5 minutes. Add tomatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes.

2) Add coconut milk, salt, pepper and palm oil, cooking about 3-5 minutes. Stir in parsley. Remove from heat.

3) Fill the shells with the crab mixture and top with bread crumbs mixed with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly brown. Sprinkle lime juice when serving.

Bom apetite!

Mixed Pepper Vinaigrette - Grow Your Own # 8

While visiting the family farm I picked different types of pepper and made this vinaigrette that goes so well as an appetizer, with any side dish or as a dressing for grilled vegetables.

Straight from the farm

This is my entry for March's Grow Your Own event at Andrea's Recipes. Click the badge to view all events listed on the page and get to know some wonderful blogs that participate and share their passion for homegrown ingredients.

Ingredients: (quantities may vary, pick assorted colors)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 fresh hot peppers, seeded and diced (chili, malagueta or Aji)
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon vinegar or lime juice
1/4 teaspoon italian seasoning or oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup anchovies, sliced (aliche) - optional

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Serve over sliced italian bread as an appetizer or with any kind of grilled vegetables.

With anchovies and extra parsley.

Happy Easter!

The homework: dye a batch of eggs and write messages to kids from school. I was already planning on coloring eggs with them, and my little one was so helpful as we dyed the eggs together. One simple task turned into a nice way of not only decorating but creating memories with the kids. Eggshells, water and food coloring: all we needed for some fun! Have a nice Easter!

Re: Cheddar Bay Biscuits - WBB #20 Balanced Breakfast

My husband's birthday could only fall on a saint's day, but now we're talking about another saint... the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick! So, if March 17th is the date for many Irish and non-Irish to wear green, enjoy a parade, drink a lot of Guinness beer and wish good luck, why can't we celebrate it with food?

The garlic butter brushed on top added a special flavor and to me they seem to taste like the ones sold at Red Lobster.

I made these Red Lobster-inspired biscuits recipe because I feel homesick for the US and also this is my contribution for Mansi's Balanced Breakfast event at Fun and Food.

Did you know that Red Lobster alone sells over one million biscuits a day?

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

(Adapted from Diana's Kitchen and Kraft)

1 cup skim milk

1/3 cup Mayonnaise

1 tablespoon sugar

2 cups self-rising flour

1/4 cup shredded American cheese

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons melted butter

10 fresh flat leaf parsley leaves

Muffin paper liners

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.

2) In a mixing bowl combine the milk, mayo, sugar, and flour until completely combined. Add cheese to the dough and combine. Drop batter into 10 paper-lined muffin tins. Batter should "drop" from spoon.

3) Melt butter; mix in garlic, and brush tops of dough. Place one parsley leaf on top of each biscuit; lightly brush again.

4) Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden. Serve freshly baked and hot.

Substitute self-rising flour: use 2 cups all-purpose flour plus 1 tablespoon baking powder.

Black-eyed Peas - Feijão-Verde

Cow peas or Black-eyed peas - not the band... make wonderful salads, stews, and fillings. These beans were a gift from farmworkers and can be eaten green or dried. They are staple in North and Northeast regions in Brazil but can be easily cultivated anywhere.