Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pão de Queijo)

Food has the power to take you back to a time and place of the past. And for me, this Brazilian cheese bread does just that. It takes me back to my days in Paraguay when we woke to chiperos walking the streets calling out "Chipa, chipa, chips, tres por mil, chipa!" It takes me back to the very first studio apartment I lived in and we could step off our balcony and buy this yummy freshly baked bread from street vendors for breakfast every morning. It takes me to the days Hna. Rodriguez and I would stop by the neighborhood bakery on our way home from a long day of walking the streets of our querido Paraguay. 

The first place I found this in the states was at a Brazilian barbecue place and as much as I like the meat, I must say, this is what I look most forward to indulging on when we go for Brazilian food. Although Brazilians and Paraguayans might argue that these breads are not the same (there are minor differences--the paraguayan version sold in the streets tends to be generally shaped like a bagel and has little bits of anise for flavoring), but for me, this is the closest thing I have found to Chipa in the U.S. And lately I've seen it popping up in places like Costco (frozen and ready to bake) and online ads...I got it in my head one day and couldn't get it out so I had to make some! And I've been craving it ever since. 

It's simple and delicious:

1 egg

1/3 cup olive oil

2/3 cup milk

1 1/2 cups yuca flour (harina de mandioca) also known as tapioca flour

1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese (grated)

1 tsp salt

Blend egg, milk, and oil together. Add salt. flour, and then cheese to liquid and blend until smooth. 

Pour into greased mini muffin tins (do not fill completely--about 3/4 full) and bake on 400F for 15-20 minutes. Bread will be puffy and slightly golden.

Serve warm or save and reheat till later.

Raspberry Coffee Cake

Three and a half years ago, my sister Annie and I traveled to Wyoming. I was expecting Marcela and my sisters and mother were throwing me a baby shower. This is what they served as dessert and it was soooooo delicious! I've been making it ever since. My little sister Makayla is expecting and has requested this as dessert for the shower we're throwing her next week. The blend of the almond with the raspberries and a little cream cheese is the perfect balance. And it's fun in winter or summer. At my winter shower, they served it with hot cocoa. At Makayla's summer shower, I think we'll serve it with some fresh squeezed lemonade.

So here's what you do:

Grease and flour bottom and sides of 9" or 10" spring form pan.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 c flour
1 c sugar, divided
3/4 c margarine (I use butter)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c sour cream
1 tsp almond extract
2 eggs, divided
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 c rapsberry preserves
1/2 c almonds, sliced

In large bowl, combine flour & 1/4 c sugar. Using pastry blender or for, cut in margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1 cup of crumb mixture. To remainding crumb mixture, add baking powder, baking soda, salt, sour cream, almond extract & 1 egg; blend well. Spread batter over bottom and 2 inches up sides of greased and floured springform pan. Batter should be about 1/4 inch thick on sides.

In small bowl, combine cream cheese, remaining sugar, and 1 egg; blend well. Pour into batter-lined pan.

Carefully spoon preserves evenly over cream cheese mixture.

In small bowl, combine reserved cumb mixture & sliced almonds.

Sprinkle over preserves.

Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes or until cream cheese filling is set and crust is deep golden brown.

Cool for 15 minutes.

This is definitely a family favorite and I'm looking forward to making it again for Makayla's shower.

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

I'm playing recipe catch up. I have pictures from 2007 I haven't posted. Did I just admit that? Yes! We'll see if I get to them. I'm really enjoying my first summer vacation as a full-time mom so who knows how much I'll post, but for now, here's one that's worth it.

I found this recipe from my favorite cooking blog: smittenkitchen.com. And let me tell you, Deb's photos are as delicious as her food!

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup *dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk or yogurt
2 large apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 450 F. Grease and flour an 18 cup muffin tin and set aside.

Mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and add the granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well; stop once to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix in the buttermilk gently. (If you over-mix, the buttermilk will cause the mixture to curdle.) Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the apple chunks.


Divide the batter evently among the prepared muffin cups, sprinkling the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar on top. Bake for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 400F and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

*I personally didn't like the strong flavor of the dark brown sugar and would use regular brown sugar in the future - or maybe I wouldn't top them with sugar at all. I like muffin toppers, but the dark brown sugar didn't do it for me. Perhaps a mixture of sugar, butter, flour and nuts next time.

Also, I would store these in the refrigerator as the moisture in the apples made them go bad quickly. All in all they were quite delicious and filling!

Cranberry Nut Dessert

A coworker shared this recipe with me a few years back and it's one I love! There's a perfect balance between the tartness of the cranberries; the sweet, almond-flavored bread; and the crunchy walnuts. This is a super-quick and easy recipe.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Whipped cream or ice cream, optional

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Add cranberries and nuts; toss to coat. Stir in the butter, eggs and extract (mixture will be very thick if using frozen berries). Spread into a greased 9-in. pie plate (I just use a round cake pan). Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream if desired. Yield: 8 servings.


* I've never seen frozen cranberries stocked in a grocery store. I like to buy an extra bag or two and freeze them so that when you can't find them, I can still make this yummy treat to brighten the long, less-festive days of January. The cranberries freeze and keep very well.

Super-Moist Banana Bread

I like my bananas a little green . . . unless I'm making banana bread, then the darker and mushier the better. Armando has always wished I made banana bread like they do in Honduras and I had never sampled anything like that (at least I didn't think I had) until our friend Christina dropped by the other day with a warm surprise - a freshly baked loaf of banana bread. When Armando tried it, he said, "THIS is what banana bread is!" So, thanks to Christina, we've adopted a new recipe in our family. I thought I'd share.

3 or 4 ripe or overripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup butter
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour milk (1/2 Cup milk + 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice-let sit for 2 minutes)

Mix all ingredients above adding the milk last, then pour batter into greased loaf pan. Bake for approximately 1 hour at 350 deg. (I baked mine for 70+ minutes)

Christina notes that she likes to add coconut and fresh pineapple but you can also add nuts or chocolate chips to taste. I personally like cinnamon and walnuts in mine and I think I'll try that next time.

Zucchini Bread (Fruit or Veggie Sweet Bread)

I love looking through my old cookbook full of recipes I've gathered through the years. I have to be careful though cause all the pages are falling out. Each recipe takes me to a different time and place where I shared good times with friends and family. Just this week, I was looking through my book and remembering my dear friend, Katja. (Don't you think we look alike? Everyone we met thought that Annie (my real sister) and I were Katja's sister) Anyway, Katja was an amazing cook and seemed to be able to do just about anything without a recipe - just a dash more of this and a pinch more of that and waaalaaa a delectable masterpiece!

This time of year most of us have a home-grown zucchini laying around (even if we don't have a garden) and need something to do with it. There's lots of creative recipes out there, but this week I decided to go with the traditional zucchini bread. It was delicious! Thanks Katja!

The thing that I love about this recipe is that it can be any kind of bread - read below for different variation ideas.

Stir together the following ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1 c chopped nuts (optional)

Beat the following till well blended:

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup oil

Stir in 1 tsp of vanilla and one of the following:

a) 2 cups coarsley shredded zucchini OR

b) 2 cups chopped seeded & peeled tomatoes OR

c) 2 cups shredded apples & 1 tsp lemon juice OR

d) 1 Tbsp grated orange peel cobined with 1 cup mashed banana & 1 finely chopped orange equalling 2 cups

Pour into greased and floured loaf pans. Bake 50-60 minutes in preheated 350 degree oven. Let stand for 10 minutes, then turn out on rack to cool. Makes 2 loaves.