Running Around

First of all, Happy Groundhog Day! =D

Yesterday we did a LOT of running around. You see, when you go to downtown Recife, you have to go to at least 10 different stores to find what you’re looking for! =D So we ended up spending the entire afternoon out! It was fun, but we were STARVING when we got home! So we got a quick bite to eat out, and then dad took us to the acai place again! I even brought my camera, but forgot to take pictures. =( Sorry!!!!!

To make up for it, here’s a pic of my cat:

What? You didn't get me any acai?

So today, I don’t even have a lot of school to do, which is super nice! =D All I really have left to do is work on my webpage design project, read Act IV of Julius Caesar and do an Algebra II lesson. Technically I’m supposed to have Algebra every day of the week, but I’ve got it worked out to where I take mondays off, do an Algebra lesson on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, study and do any extra work on Friday and then take the test! What can I say, I’m the queen of procrastination! =D

Oddly enough, our fridge started back up and the little red alarm light went off last night, but we’re still having someone come look at it, because who knows how long it’ll keep working.

In a little while, mom and I are heading to the grocery store because I am out of snacks and if I don’t have something to eat later on the world as we know it will end! Just kidding, but we really do need some stuff. I tag along because I can be helpful if I set my mind to it! =D We can walk to the store, and take a cab back if we have a lot of groceries. Of course, being in Brazil, our grocery store doesn’t always have everything we’re looking for. Like ground beef. or vanilla extract. or powdered sugar. We’ve had to make our own powdered sugar in the food processor because we made cinnamon rolls and needed glaze for them. =D It was like a science experiment!!!! And tasty, too!

How has your week been going so far?

What’s your favorite way to wind down after a super long day?

No cooking + giant fruit salad + family time= relaxation!!!! =D

Is there anything that you HAVE to have every day or you’ll miss it?

Chocolate. And snacks every two hours! Otherwise I turn into a grump! =D

Hope you have a great Wednesday!!!!

Sunday Relaxation

I had a wonderful day yesterday! We hung out at home for a little while, and in the afternoon, headed over to a park that’s close by and then to an acai place. Ya’ll might have seen Acai in the States in bottled juice form, but here, we have it fresh and there are snack places that will take the acai pulp, freeze it, and blend it up so that its slushy. They then serve it with sliced banana and granola. Usually we order some strawberries or condensed milk as well. The acai is almost chocolatey and super-filling! I don’t have a picture from this visit, but will try to take one next time!

I actually wasn’t feeling up to a 500 mL bowl of acai (which is the smallest size, I believe!) so I ordered something that wasn’t on their menu 6 months ago: fresh fruit salad with pineapple, kiwi, guava, strawberries, banana and mango. I had mine plain, but you can get yogurt, condensed milk, honey or ice cream on the side. I was expecting a small sized bowl of the salad, but ended up with a fruit salad in a bowl as big as my face! Once again, it was tasty, but I didn’t get a pic! =( Oh well. Just another excuse to go get some more!

After our afternoon out, we came back home and watched some movies. One was pretty entertaining and one we didn’t like at all! The entertaining one was RED. It was about a retired CIA agent who is attacked by assassins and decides to get his old team together. Nothing life-changing, but still pretty good! The one we didn’t like was The Box, which was about an average family who receives a box and is told that if they push a button on the box, someone will die and they will receive a million dollars. We figured it would be unbelievable, but it was even crazier than we expected! =P

Our biggest task today is to finish up the food in our fridge. Here’s what the inside looks like:

We’ve got leftover Chinese (veggie stir fry w/ cabbage, onion, carrot, lentils, and bell pepper in a little bit of soy sauce and chicken stir fry with peanuts), rice, pasta, loads of condiments(seriously, 3 yellow mustards? who needs that much =P), juices, oatmeal (which was my breakfast the other day), peach iced tea, caramel, cookies, and of course, aloe vera sun burn gunk (the green stuff).

Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday!

 

 

 

 

 

Bagels!

I made bagels last night!!!And I don’t really even like them that much! I just got bored and knew that my mom and sister love them. I mean, doesn’t everyone bake when they get bored? Or is it just me? hahahaha

Anyway, they turned out alright, I just have to remember to bake them longer the first time that they’re in the oven. Bagel-making is a strange process because you broil them for like 4 minutes, boil them for 7, and broil again for about 30 minutes. So anyway, here’s the recipe:

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees)
• 2 pkgs dry yeast
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp salt
• 4 cups bread flour (up to 1 cup can be whole wheat flour for a nice flavor)

In a large mixing bowl combine 2 cups of the flour and the yeast. Add the water, sugar, and salt. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

Turn dough onto floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6 to 8 minutes total). Divide dough into 12 portions and shape into smooth balls. Cover dough and let rest for 10 minutes.

Working quickly, punch a hole in the center of each ball. Pull center of dough gently and evenly to make a 2-inch hole. Place on lightly greased baking sheet; cover and let rise 20 minutes (start timing after the first bagel is shaped).

While bagels are still rising, in a 12-inch skillet bring 6 cups of water to boiling. Preheat broiler.

Broil bagels 5 inches from heat 3 to 4 minutes, turning once (tops should not brown). Turn off broiler; preheat oven to 375 degree F.

Lower 6 bagels, 1 at a time, into boiling water. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 7 minutes, turning once.

Remove bagels with slotted spatula; set on paper towels. Repeat with remaining bagels.

Sprinkle clean baking sheet with semolina or cornmeal. Place bagels on baking sheet. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 25 minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack. Makes 12 bagels.

Here’s a pic of my bagels in the oven:

I actually halved the recipe, but instead of 6 bagels, I ended up with 4:

two chocolate chip and two plain.

And here’s my cat, headed towards the kitchen:

Give me bagel!!!!

So, in other news, thank ya’ll so much for the support of yesterday’s post! I fully intend to meet my goals!!!!! =D

Well, I guess I had better be off……school calls my name!

What’s your favorite type of bagel?

Any good bread recipes that you want to share?

 

Baking, baking, baking…

Guess what I did this morning? Baked banana and banana chocolate chip muffins for breakfast for my family!!! I also made some ham, cheese and veggie omelets!!!!! I made the muffins first, though, while everyone else was sleeping, and then, when people woke up, I mixed some eggs with some milk and made the omelets. We also had some acerola and tangerine juice and coffee. Acerola is a barbados cherry and it has like 10 times more vitamin C than orange juice does! Plus it tastes soooo good!!!!!! There’s a little snack place close by that makes fresh juices, and one of my favorites is an orange, tangerine, acerola mix with just a squirt of lemon juice!

Acerola!

 But anyway, back to breakfast. The muffins were a hit!

Here’s my recipe:

2 cups flour (I used all-purpose white, but if you try these with another type of flour, let me know how they turn out)

1 cup sugar (once again, I used white, but I think that these would be great with at least some brown sugar!)

1 cup mashed ripe banana (the softer and browner the better…just don’t use rotten! :D)

1/2 cup butter

6 tbsp milk

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon (I’d add more next time)

1/2 tsp salt

In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

Cream together butter and sugar in another bowl. Add one egg at a time to the butter mixture, stirring well after each addition. Stir in milk and banana, mix well.

Gradually add flour mixture to the wet ingredients until combined.

Fill muffin tins about 2/3 of the way full.

Bake at 350 degrees F 20-25 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick into the middle and it comes out clean.

I got 12 regular sized muffins and 8 mini muffins. I also split the batter in half, and made some plain banana muffins and stirred some milk chocolate chips in the other half of the batter. You could also probably use pb chips or white choc chips or really anything you want!

If anyone tries this, please let me know how you liked the recipe!!!!

So, we’re going to spend the rest of the afternoon hanging out at home, and then there’s church tonight!

Hope you all are having an awesome weekend!!!!!!!