My parents traveled quite much while I was growing up, and during the last 10 years, they both had the pleasure to visit Brazil. One thing that they always brought back with them was an instant mix to bake Pão de Queijo. This is a very chewy cheesy bread, that we all love. Last year, I went to São Paulo for a few days to work, and the supermarket that I went to on my only day to walk around the city, had sold out! I’ve been looking for a recipe to prepare it… I finally found one!

Pão de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Bread)
From Simply Recipes
Yield: 24 mini muffins

Ingredients:
1/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup milk
1 1/2 cups tapioca flour, (yuca flour)
1/2 cup Queso Fresco, grated
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a mini-muffin tin.
2. Put all of the ingredients into a blender (or food processor) and pulse until smooth. You may need to use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the blender so that everything gets blended well. At this point you can store the batter in the refrigerator for up to a week.
3. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until all puffy and just lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack for a few minutes.
4. Eat while warm or save to reheat later.

Notes: I’ve tested the recipe several times, and I’ve found that tastes great with Queso Fresco. You can substitute the 1/2 cup of Queso Fresco for 1/4 cup of Parmesan Cheese and 1/4 Mozarella Cheese, either way you get a great Pão de Queijo at the end!

My grandma Flory is from San Antonio Suchitepequez, a south western town in Guatemala. One of the things that she loves about San Antonio (and so do I!) is it’s chocolate tablets.

Guatemala has one of the best chocolates in the world, and depending on which city you find chocolate, the cacao beans go through a different process to become the tablets that we’ve showed you before, the same ones that we’ve used to make Hot Chocolate. One of the most famous chocolates from Guatemala is the one made in Mixco: they toast the cacao beans, peal them, grind it (twice) and the paste gets mixed with cinnamon or almonds.  In San Antonio Suchitepequez the process is very similar, but instead of adding just cinnamon, they add sugar to it. When making any recipe with chocolate from San Antonio, you have to take note of this, if not, you’re going to have a very sweet result.

For the cupcakes, we’ve been looking for ideas to bring Guatemalan elements (as the chocolate or the roselle flowers), and finally got a recipe that would work perfectly with the chocolate. We modified it and added a bit of cayenne pepper to contrast with the sweetness of the tablet chocolate. I can’t wait to get back to Guate and make these for her… I want to know if the recipe will be up to her standards- both as a great (kitchen) teacher and as a San Antonio girl who loves her chocolate. We hope you like it!

Guatemalan Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting
A Foodies’ Guatemalan Touch Original & Adapted from Emeril Lagasse’s Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe
Yield: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup hot water
1 tablet Guatemalan Chocolate, in small bite size pieces

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter 1 (12-cup) muffin tin.
2. Sift together all the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and cayenne pepper.
3. Soften the butter and add the dry ingredients in two batches, alternating with the egg, then the buttermilk, beating until combined after each.
4. Add the hot water last. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
5. Stir in the guatemalan chocolate bits.
6. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin tin wells.
7. Bake until the cupcakes are puffed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
8. Cool to room temperature in the tins. Run a thin, sharp knife around the sides of the muffin cups to loosen the cupcakes, and carefully lift out. Place the cupcakes on a work surface.

Simple Buttercream Frosting
Yield: Enough for heavily frosted 12 cupcakes

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter until smooth.
2. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar; beat until smooth.
3. If too thick to spread, beat in one by one the milk tablespoons, checking the consistency after adding each one.
4. Frost the cupcakes when they are completely cooled.
5. Grate chocolate on top of the frosted cupcakes for decoration.

Note: You can find Guatemalan Hot Chocolate online at Azotea Estate.

I know.  Meatballs… boring.  I have to tell you that I have never been a fan of ground beef.  Meatballs and especially meatloaf are one of the few things that I don’t particularly enjoy. I think its because of the way these types of dishes where prepared when I was growing up . It was just wrong.

Now,  I have made my peace with ground beef.  However, it has to be a really lean cut and it has to be seasoned just right.  I decided to try this recipe and give it my own twist.  I promise you, it is very good.  Have some homemade tomato sauce handy, or get some of the canned type with basil or with mushrooms to go with it and lots of Parmesan cheese on top!

Meatballs with Tomato Sauce

Ingredients
Serves 4-6

For the Meatballs:
1 lb lean ground beef
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
A couple of sprinkles of fresh cilantro, chopped
1 egg, beaten
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste.
About 2 tablespoons olive oil, to fry the meatballs.

Garnish: chopped cilantro
1 cup tomato sauce, Italian style
Basil, either fresh or dried.

Preparation:

1. Make the meatballs: Combine meat, garlic, breadcrumbs, cheese, parsley, egg, salt, pepper in a bowl;
2. mix together using 2 forks until just combined.
3. Roll into 1-inch balls; transfer to a baking sheet.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat.
5. Working in batches and adding more oil as necessary, cook meatballs until browned on all sides and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes.
6. Add basil to tomato sauce.
7. Serve meatballs warm, topped with sauce. Garnish with cilantro.
8. Serve over pasta.

I am always looking for ways to sneak vegetables in our everyday cooking, not only so my daughter eats them, but for us too.  This recipe gives us a very tasty and different way to have our spinach.

Spinach Loaf

Adapted from whatsforlunch, honey.com
Yields: 1 loaf

Ingredients:
1 bag fresh spinach
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 of a white onion
1 oz butter + a little bit of olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4  teaspoon nutmeg
2-4 teaspoons sesame seeds
1/2 + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
3 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup luke warm milk
1/2 cup of any cheese you have at hand. It can be parmesan, gruyere, mozzarella.

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven at 350 F. Grease a loaf tin.
2. In a large pan heat the olive oil and 1 oz butter until melted. Add the onion and the spinach and sauté for a couple of minutes, just until the spinach slightly falls together. Add the mushrooms and tomato. Sprinkle salt, pepper and the nutmeg and allow to cook for approx. 5 minutes.
3. Add 1 teaspoon of the sesame seeds to the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
4. In a mixing bowl mix together flour and baking powder. Add the eggs and rigorously beat with a whisk. Drizzle the oil and the warm milk into the batter, beating constantly. Add the grated cheese and fold in. Now add the vegetable/herb mixture to this and mix well.
5. Pour out into the loaf tin, sprinkle with the remaining sesame seeds and bake for 45-50 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick is inserted into the middle of the cake and it comes out clean.Take out and allow to cool. Take out of the tin and cut thick slices. Enjoy with your favorite spread, or as a side dish.

For a long time, I was allergic to nuts- all types of nuts.  Because of that, I’ve never had the slightest curiosity for Peanut Butter or Peanut Butter Cookies. Jake loves PB Cookies, so browsing online I found this great recipe and Jake loved it! This one is great for freezing and making ahead. It’s best to get the peanut butter filled candy than the chocolate covered peanuts, they are easier to bite!

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Cookies
Makes 36 cookies

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Granulated sugar
3 dozen milk chocolate stars or candy-coated chocolate-covered peanuts

1. Heat oven to 375ºF. Stir together 1/2 cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, peanut butter, butter, shortening and egg.
2. Stir in flour, baking soda and baking powder.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in granulated sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light brown. Immediately press 1 chocolate star firmly in each cookie; cool on wire rack.

I really enjoy caramelized bananas with rum, served with vanilla ice cream, so I couldn’t resist to the thought of a cupcake made with them. This recipe is now one of my favorites. It doesn’t quite taste like banana bread, it does have the taste of caramelized bananas.  The recipe calls for a cream cheese frosting to go with them, but I prefer a cinnamon whipped cream with a little rum.  It seems like a lot of ingredients and like it’s a lot do to, but they don’t take much longer to prepare than regular cupcakes, so give them a try!  When using whipped cream as frosting, it is best if you will frost only the cupcakes that will be eaten on that day.

Caramelized Banana Cupcakes
with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

Makes about 18 cupcakes
Recipe adapted from Williams Sonoma

Ingredients:

For the Bananas:

1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 ripe, but still firm bananas quartered (halved crosswise, then lengthwise)
2 tablespoons dark rum
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a sauté pan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.  Cook until butter melts and sugar is dissolved (4 to 5 minutes)
2. Add the banana slices and cook until tender, turning once for 1 to 2 minutes per side.
3. Stir together rum and vanilla.  Turn off the burner and add the rum mixture to the pan.
4. Using a long match, light the alcohol by placing the flame just in the outer edge of the pan.  Stand as far back as possible.  The flame should extinguish in a few seconds.
5. Gently shake the pan from side to side to coat the bananas with the sauce.

Spoon the bananas into a bowl and set aside.

For the Cupcakes:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon dark rum
Banana mixture already prepared
3/4 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add eggs, vanilla, rum and banana.  Mix well.
5. Add flour mixture alternately with sour cream; blend thoroughly but do not over mix.
6. Pour into prepared cupcake pans.
7. Bake 20 – 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cool for 1- minutes in pan on rack.  Remove and cool completely before frosting.

Cinnamon Whipped Cream

1 1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar (add more if you like a sweeter cream)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon rum

1. Whip your cream together with the sugar until it gets thick
2. Add the rum and cinnamon

Place cream in piping bag to decorate your cupcakes.

So, one of the things that I love about being abroad is the produce. Each country has it’s own things and here, I had the opportunity to try something I’ve been after for quite a bit: Rhubarb. Rhubarb, for those who don’t know, is pretty similar to celery, and has fresh raw stalks are crisp with a strong tart taste. Looks pretty much like celery, but pink! Yes, pink. So, when Helga and I found a few recipes with Rhubarb, we knew that I had to try them while in the US. To my surprise on Monday, I was walking around the vegetables and there it was! I’ve been tracking those for quite a bit, they didn’t made their way to Upstate NY till now… So I grabbed what I needed and started brainstorming. Yes, I could do a Strawberry and Rhubarb pie, but that’s the common path. I want something different. That’s when I remembered that I had a recipe by Martha Stewart that I wanted to try! I added an extra cup of rhubarb and instead of serving them with whipped cream, I made a Cream Cheese Frosting that turned out to be amazing. Before going all crazy baking, I needed to try it before baking. So, Rhubarb has the crunch of the celery, but the sweet tanginess of a not-quite-ripe strawberry. I loved it!

Rhubarb Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart
Yield: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
1  1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
3/4 pound rhubarb stalks, trimmed and cut into 1/4 inch dice (makes 3 cups)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven at 350ºF. Line standard muffins tins with paper liners.
2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
3. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and 1 cup of sugar until pale and fluffy.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla extract. Reduce speed to low.
5. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, and beating until combined after each.
6. Stir in the diced Rhubarb.
7. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating thins half-way through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
8. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers.
9. Wait until completely cool to frost the cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting
A Foodies’ Kitchen Original recipe
Yield: Enough to frost about 24 cupcakes

¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese
3 cups confectioner’s sugar (have a bit more around if you need to adjust the sweetness of the frosting)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Strawberries or blueberries for garnish

Directions:

1. Cream the butter on medium speed, then add the sour cream until well combined.
2. Lower the speed on the mixer and Sift in the powdered sugar, one cup at the time.
3. Add vanilla and mix. Test to see if it’s sweet enough, if you want it sweeter, add 1/4 of confectioner’s sugar at a time.
4. Spread onto cooled cupcakes or cake.
5. Place a couple of blueberries or a sliced strawberry on top.

Edith shared this recipe with me, and be both decided to try it. She used the bread flour that the recipe calls for and I used all-purpose flour. The results were not that different.  She had a more compact solid bread, and mine was a bit crumbly and seemed to be a bit spongier.  The consistency of this bread is not as we expected it to be, like bread.  It doesn’t have the consistency of cake either, but it was delicious. You can add walnuts, or almonds to it if you want. The first picture is my rendition of the bread, made with all-purpose flour and the second one is Edith’s version with bread flour.

Chocolate Bread
Recipe from David Lebovitz
One 9-inch (23 cm) loaf

Ingredients:

3/4 cup (180 ml) whole or low-fat milk, heated until just tepid
1 envelope active dry yeast (1/4 ounce, or 2 1/4 teaspoons)
6 tablespoons (75 g) sugar
4 tablespoons (55 g) butter, salted or unsalted
3 ounces (85 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee or espresso powder (optional)
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups (280 g) bread flour
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

3/4 cup (3 1/2 ounces, 90 g) chocolate chips or coarsely chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup (70 g) toasted pecans, walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the milk. Add one tablespoon (11 g) sugar, then set aside in a warm place for 10 to 15 minutes, until bubbles form on the surface.
2. While the yeast is activating, in a small saucepan, melt the butter and 3 ounces (85 g) chocolate over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat.
3. Once the yeast mixture is frothy, mix in the remaining sugar, the instant coffee (if using), the egg, vanilla, and sea salt.
4. Stir in half the flour and cocoa powder, then the melted butter and chocolate, then the remaining flour mixture, stirring until well-incorporated. If using a stand mixer, attach the dough hook and beat for five minutes, until smooth. If making by hand, mix vigorously with a flexible spatula for the same amount of time. The dough will seem quite moist, resembling sticky brownie batter when ready.
5. Cover the bowl and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours.
6. Butter a 9-inch (23 cm) loaf pan.
7. Stir in the chopped chocolate and nuts, if using. Then use a spatula to fold the dough over on itself in the bowl for about thirty seconds, then transfer it to the buttered pan, pressing a bit to spread it to the corners. Let rise in a warm place for one hour.
8. Ten minutes before you’re ready to bake the bread, preheat the oven to 350ºF (175ºC.)
9. Bake the bread for 35 to 40 minutes, until it feels done and sounds hollow when you tap it. You can stick an instant-read thermometer in the bottom if you’re unsure; the bread is done when the temperature reads 180ºF (82Cº).

One of our fans, asked on the Facebook Page for ideas on champagne pairings for a romantic evening picnic. We’re always glad to answer your questions so keep them coming!

There are a few key foods that are simply a must, such as fruits, cheese and chocolate!  However, even though we want a delicate assortment of finger foods to set off the mood, we know that your sweetheart will most likely be hungry, so we can’t stick to fruits and chocolate only.

To make a complete picnic basket, try these:

• Appetizers: You can make some quick appetizers such as melon wrapped in prosciutto. Get some sushi made with salmon which will taste great with champagne.
• Cheese & Bread: Brie, Gouda, Blue Cheese, Edam are good choices. Pair them with crackers and an assortment of tiny breads you can probably find at the baker’s.
• Fruits: Strawberries either dipped in chocolate, dusted with confectioner’s sugar or just plain are the perfect fruit to pair with champagne. Try to find ones that are ripe and sweet. You can also add grapes, and  other finger fruits such as dried apricots and prunes to make a small fruit platter.
• Chocolates: Dark chocolate and truffles hold well in high temperatures.  We think the taste of dark chocolate is a great pairing with champagne.

I will never make french toast the way I did before!  The melted butter and brown sugar give these a light crunch with the taste of caramelized sugar, they are not soggy and not too sweet.  They go perfectly with strawberries, or any other berry you prefer.

Caramelized French Toast

Ingredients:

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
6 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 1-inch-thick slices white or whole wheat bread
Powdered sugar
Fresh strawberries
Pure maple syrup

Procedure:

1. Mix butter and brown sugar in small bowl to blend. Whisk milk, eggs, vanilla, and spices in large bowl to blend.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons brown sugar-butter mixture in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Dip bread slices 1 at a time in egg mixture to coat.
4. Add slices to hot skillet. Cook until bottoms are deep brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Spread remaining butter mixture over bread in skillets.
6. Turn slices over. Cook until bottoms are deep brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
7. Divide French toast among 4 plates. Sift powdered sugar over. Top with strawberries; drizzle with maple syrup.