Ipanema Bitch

My daughter is in her school's theater group, and I always have to come up with "non-voice damaging" dinner solutions to bring to her before the performances। Salads work great because I can put them in a cooler with ice packs and not have to be there at cast/crew dinnertime. Last weekend, I had an extra challenge: I was bringing a friend from work who will not eat anything that is green, and he was helping me out setting up the concession stand, so I had to bring dinner for us as well  I remembered this jewel from old times in Brazil, worked like a charm, daughter and colleague were happy (and it took me 10 min to make it, the night before, it does not get soggy) Dressing: 1-cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons ketchup ½ tablespoon olive oil 1-teaspoon mustard Salad 2 carrots Shredded chicken (breasts work best), as much as you want —I would do a whole breast. 1 cup shredded carrots 1 can corn ½ cup frozen peas ½ cup raisins (can be o...

So, we saw "How to Succeed..." on Broadway last night I have "only" seen it 5 times, since my daughter was a freshman in the chorus in our local High School Theater Group (Staples Players) production of it. As a good mother, WE HAD TO SEE IT one more time, because Nick Jonas "early teenage crush" was in it. Broadway is always great, and we had unbelievable seats, but at the end, as we were walking to the car, my kids and I had to admit it: the local Staples Players' production was not comparable to it—it was actually better. Trust me, it was. My friend Debra, from New Jersey, comes to all performances of Staples Players. She always says "Why spend 150 bucks for a ticket on Broadway? This is just as good as any Broadway show I ever saw". Last time she was here (for Into the Woods) she asked me: "Why do you think there are so many talented kids concentrated in one town?" Debra always has these questions I do not know the answer, but ...

I grew up with this "compote". When bananas where really cheap at the market, my mom would buy a ton of them, cook it, and conserve it in jars, so it was always available. In Brazil, we eat it with a creamy cheese called "requeijão", but a cream cheese will do just fine. Once you add the spices in, the house smells so good, you'll want to do it over and over again. INGREDIENTS: 12 large bananas, ripe (over ripe works great as well) 4 cups water 4 cup sugar 4 stick cinnamon 5 cloves, whole Juice from 1 lime PREPARATION: In a heavy saucepan (high heat), dissolve sugar well in water. Peel and cut bananas in rounds, about 1.2 inch, and add to the pan. When it starts boiling, add the lime juice (it will make it a beautifull purle-red color) and the cinnamon and cloves. Reduce heat to lowest. During the first 10, 15 minutes, it will form a "foam" on top, that will make the compote more cristaline if you remove it once...

When I moved to the US, I was surprised by the number of people who thought Fondue had to be cheese, and cheese only. I do not know why, but we love meat fondue in Rio. You have to turn your air conditioner at the highest setting, or wait for the 2 days a year where the temperature reaches 65F to eat it, but we even have "medieval" style restaurants (with cold stone walls and a killer air conditioning system) so we can enjoy it. When a couple gets married in Brazil, you can be sure they will get about 10 fondue sets, go figure. If I have less than 15 people for Christmas Eve dinner, I always have a fondue—Brazilian traditional Christmas food is very similar to Thanksgiving, and I just had turkey 3.5 weeks ago.   I set up a very colorful table, with 1 fondue set per 3/4 people (the picture here was for the leftovers the following day, just our own family and to meet my daughter's new "boyfriend").  I always forget to take pictures at my own parties, ARGH. ...

This is the best kind of potatoes for meat or chicken fondue. If you don't eat bacon, substitute it for a handful of Gruyere cheese. Ingredients : 1/2 lb smoked bacon 2 lbs of chopped onions 2 lbs of starchy potatoes (I like Yukon) Method : Put the unpeeled (washed) potatoes in a pan of salted water, bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes, they shouldn't be completely cooked. Better to be undercooked than overcooked. Drain, layout in a single layer and cool overnight or at least 4 hours. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan and cook the bacon until crisp, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. In the same pan cook the onions until soft and beginning to brown at the edges, add more olive oil if needed. Add to the bacon. Peel and shred the potatoes on a box grater into a wide bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and 10 good turns of fresh ground black pepper. Add 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and 10 good turns of fresh ground black pepper Add 1/2 cup of t...

As much as I love cooking, some days I just cannot get myself together to do it. For those days, I have a few "quick and easy" Brazilian recipes that save my dinner from being something that came from a box.  This one is a great family please, even my daughter, who will not eat bacon, removes the bacon after it is cooked and really enjoys it — the chicken absorbs the flavor. Rub the ketchup all over the chicken so it is fully coated “Reconstruct" the thighs into their original shapes in a glass dish Bake at 350/375°F for about 30 minutes, until bacon is crispy on top INGREDIENTS (Yep, that's only 3): Boneless and skinless Chicken thighs Ketchup Slices of Bacon (1 per chicken thigh) --> --> COOKING IT: TIPS There will some liquid on the dish. It will have a lot of the fat of the bacon, so you can remove it, reduce it and use it for a recipe that requires bacon or duck fat, works g...