Mini Easter Baskets

Hello dear readers! For a while I thought I would not make it here this week. I caught a nasty cold, and spent most of this week in bed, but what a relieve, today I'm feeling much better.

I made an easy and cute Easter project for the Craft Café column, which Claire posted on her blog Heart Handmade UK last Monday.

These little Easter cups and baskets are super simple to put together, and perfect for kids and adults alike to enjoy some sweet treats.

I like celebrating Easter with fun crafts and decorations, and I thought a bunny face would be perfect to customize little paper cups to decorate the table, but then I went further and added a paper strip to create a handle. Now besides bunny-face paper cups I have cute little bunny-face baskets as well.

You will need:

• Mini paper cups - mine are Robert Gordon Paper Cups
• Scraps of paper
• Round shape paper punch - I have a Cricut machine so I used it to make my circles
• Small craft pom-poms
• Glue stick & scissors

Steps:

• Use a paper punch to cut round shapes. 
• Sketch the ears on paper and cut them with scissors.
• Glue the face (round shape) to the ears.
• Glue a pom-pom on the face, and glue the finished face to a paper cup.
• Cut a piece of paper into a 6" long strip to create the handle.
• Secure both handle ends to the paper cup using glue.
• For a cute detail, you can add a small pom pom to the back of the paper cup. 

Such an easy and fun way to add a little whimsy to your Easter table.

Mini Coconut & Cheese Cake - Bombocado

"Do you like them?" I asked Brady when I handed him a plate with some Bombocados.

"Oh! They are so delicious!", he said.

And I smiled.

It was the first time I made Bombocado, which I decided to translate into mini Coconut & Cheese cake. Flourless & gluten-free, I must add.

Last Sunday, as I walked into the kitchen with a hungry belly for something sweet, I thought I would call my mother to ask for her Bombocado recipe, which she calls Sorrisos, or in English, Smiles. 

Inevitably it is what happens when we eat Bombocado, we smile, happy and fulfilled.

They are extremely moist, deliciously smooth, and satisfying.

The next morning, before going to work I stopped at my friend's home  to give her some Bombocados. 

Later that day, she called me to say she and her children loved it, and asked for the recipe. Gladly, I gave it to her.

I know what you are going to say. Yet another sweetened condensed milk recipe? 

Please do not be hard on me. What can I say. I read that was an American, Gail Borden Jr., who developed was is known today as sweetened condensed milk, but we Brazilians have adopted and cherished it as our own.

The sweetness of baked coconut scent filled my home, and as always it took me back to the time I lived on the second floor above my father's bakery. 

Every time I bake a cake I feel like I'm heading back home growing up in a large family. 

Never a dull moment. 

Sweet and cozy memories.

• Usually, I would place Bombocado in small baking paper candy cases like these ones, but I wanted to use some muffins cups I'd bought a while back.
• If you can use freshly grated coconut.

• There is no need to sprinkle coconut on top of them, they have plenty. I did that just to dress them up for my Easter table.

Are you ready for the simplest and most delicious treat?

Mini Coconut and Cheese Cake - Bombocado

Makes 10 when using muffin cases

♥ 1 can sweetened condensed milk

♥ 225 grs unsweetened coconut

♥ 65 grs grated parmesan cheese

♥ 4 egg yolks

Preheat oven to 310F. Line muffin tray with cases. I used some paper cases and some silicone ones. 

In a blender, beat the egg yolks, add sweetened condensed milk, beat some more. Add the cheese, and last, and gradually, add the coconut.

Place the mixture into the cases, and bake them for about 20 - 25 minutes until lightly golden. 

Use the toothpick method to check whether they are done. If after 25 min they are still not ready, turn the oven off, and let them finish cooking inside of it, but keep one eye on them, they should not get brown.

Place them on a rack to completely cool off.

Is there any of that coconut thing left? Brady asked me after dinner.

I smiled.

He rarely eats sweets after dinner. I think it was love at first bite.

Springy feeling

The sun shone yesterday, and when the sun shines, I get carried away and I want to take pictures, but I didn't feel like being outside quite yet, it is still cold, so I took pictures of the inside, trying to give my home a much needed springy feeling.

When it's cold outside nothing better than a hot cup of café com leite to make me happy and fulfilled.

It makes my heart flutter at the thought of Spring being just around the the corner. Are you ready? I know I am!!!

Happy weekend to all of you!

Fish & Coconut Milk Stew - Moqueca de Peixe

Moqueca de Peixe is a traditional Brazilian seafood stew, basically is a mixture of fish, coconut milk, cilantro, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and  it is cooked slowly, with no water added. Two ingredients are essential to the authenticity of this dish - coconut milk and cilantro.

The original recipe is on the spicy side, and use a specific oil, dendê oil, which is palm oil. I don't like spicy, and dendê oil is too strong for me, so I adapted it to my taste. After all that's how it should be, right? I mean, if it's not baking, recipes should be adapted to one's taste. If it asks for 2 garlic cloves, but you love garlic, so be it, add as many cloves as you want. Don't you agree?

Very simple, easy to make, fresh and delicious. It balances taste and texture. The kind of recipe you like to have when you are short of time and want a hearty and elegant meal.

This recipe is a favorite. Hopefully, you will like it as much as Brady and I do.

Fish & Coconut Milk Stew - Moqueca de Peixe

Whenever I cook fish, and chicken, the first thing I do is to wash them under running water, pat them dry, and season with salt, garlic powder, freshly squeezed lime, or lemon juice, and set them aside.

♥ 2 lbs fresh cod fillet, or tilapia
♥ 1 1/2 cup coconut milk
♥ 1 freshly squeezed lime juice
♥ 7 garlic gloves, minced
♥ 3 tbsp olive oil
♥ 1 onion, finely sliced
♥ 1 small red bell pepper, finely sliced
♥ 3 tomatoes, chopped
♥ fresh cilantro, plenty
♥ salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Toss fish, some garlic, lime juice, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, remaining garlic, bell pepper, and sauté for a few minutes until fragrant and the onions are softened.

Add the chopped tomatoes, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stirring occasionally, cook until the mixture thicken.

Add the fish to the pan. Stir in cilantro and coconut milk.
Bring the stew to a simmer, cover and cook for about 10 minutes, until the fish easily flakes apart.

Enjoy it with white rice on the side.

Note: Usually I use olive oil to cook this meal, but this time I experimented it with roasted hazelnut oil from Trader Joe's, a flavorful addition to this meal.

DIY - Upcycled Tin Can Storage

Today I have a new diy project I made for the Craft Café column at Heart Handmade UK - Upcycled Tin Can Storage.

I'm always finding new ways to reuse tin cans and give them a new life. I like the idea of crafting and upcycling them.

Gold is my favorite accent color so I sprayed the cans and lids with a metallic gold paint, and mixed and matched papers, tapes, and embellishments to decorate them. Last but not least, I added a round wooden bead to some of the lids to make a handle. Now I can use them to store some of my craft supplies, or to hold some pretty flowers.

This is a very inexpensive way to spruce up any room and give it a personal touch.

If you have some empty tin cans, you should try this project. 

After you spray paint inside and outside of the cans and lids in metallic gold, gather what you have on hand to decorate them, like papers, tapes, laces, adhesive embellishments, butons, and so on.

There are so many ways to get creative with these cans. I hope you get inspired by this post and come up with other beautiful ideas to upcycle tin cans.

Find the full tutorial here.

I am a lucky one, and a creamy hot chocolate in a big mug

Well, well, what can I say?

I have just found out this week that  Molly Mell, with the White Chocolate Truffles - Brigadeiro recipe, won the 4th prize in the Chocolate Lovers Recipe Contest at Torta Della Figlia.

I started this unpretentious blog about a year ago, a place to keep my creativity flowing, and it is rewarding to know that, somehow, it is reaching people.

Many thanks Marcela, the judges, the sponsor!!!

And guess what I made to celebrate it. Oh, yes, another delicious, quick and easy chocolate recipe.

Creamy Hot Chocolate, the way my mother used to make when my siblings and I were little. No fancy ingredients to make this rich and tempting hot chocolate.

Creamy Hot Chocolate
Makes 1 big mug

♥ 2 tbsp natural cocoa powder
♥ 2 cups milk (I used 2% organic reduced fat)
♥ 2 tbsp cornstarch
♥ sugar to taste

Mix the cornstarch, one spoon at a time, with 1/2 cup of milk. Stir this mixture slowly until the cornstarch is completely dissolved, and keep on the side.

Place the cocoa powder and the remaining milk in a small saucepan over low heat, stir slowly until it is all blended. I suggest using a wooden spoon.

Gradually pour the dissolved cornstarch into the saucepan. Continue stirring over low heat until it becomes a thick and creamy texture. Do not let it boil.

Get cozy and enjoy it warm.

Just for two

Like most holidays, on Valentine's day Brady and I prefer to keep it low key at home, but this does not mean we don't have fun. Which leads me to talk about food. Cooking is a part of our romantic vocabulary. To me cooking is an act of love, and we both enjoy cooking to each other. 

And you, are you cooking something special for today? If  you want a sweet and creamy dessert that does not require a lot of time, and with only two ingredients, I have something for you. 

Something creamy, sweet and a little tart.

Another recipe with sweetened condensed milk? Yes, it is. Not that I am lacking cooking imagination, or anything of the kind - sweetened condensed milk is a major ingredient in many Brazilian desserts and sweets. I could write a book with only condensed milk recipes.

Lime Cream

Makes 2

♥ 1 can sweetened condensed milk

♥ juice of 2 limes

♥ lime zest, pistachio and berries to garnish

Blend the sweetened condensed milk and the lime juice together until it reaches a creamy and rich velvety texture.

Top with lemon zest, pistachio and berries of your choice.

So simple, right? A lovely sweet touch to finish any meal.

Happy Valentine's day everyone.