Chocolate and cashew oatmeal bars

Hellooooo!!!!!! heheheheh

Okay, today I bring to you a perfect picnic recipe, I made this bars for a day at the beach with my mom and my grandma, of course they were also our breakfast before we left home and our dinner dessert and if they weren't too hot the night before they had been our bed time meal... This bars are really delicious and yet simple and easy to make.

Chocolate and cashew oatmeal bars

Ingredients:

• 10 oz (280g) flour
• 6.7 oz (190g) rolled oats
• 5.6 oz (160g) light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 7 oz (200g) butter, room temperature
• 3.5 oz (100g) cashew
• 7 oz (200g) chocolate, broken to pieces
• 1 can – 14 oz (400g) condensed milk
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions:

1. Preheat  the oven to 347ºF. Line a brownie pan and spray it.
2. In the electric mixer, mix flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, salt and butter, until you reach a lumpy dough. Divide it in two equal parts.
3. Press the first part of dough in the pan, spread the cashew and the chocolate on top. Mix the cornstarch and the condensed milk and pour it over the cashew and chocolate.
4. Press (but not too hard) the rest of the dough on top of everything in the pan.
5. Bake for 40-42 minutes until the top is golden-brown. Let it cool in the pan and then take it to the fridge. Cut it in bars and serve.

The hardest thing about this bars is to stop eating them, or maybe not to eat the hole pan ... WARNING: they are really addictive!

Coconut birthday cake

Hey peeps!! This week I bring you the perfect recipe for coconut lovers- a coconut birthday cake! 

I made this cake for my grandpa's birthday, it worked as my gift :) of course it was also a gift for me to bake such a fantastic and huuuuuuge cake... and a compensation because my grandpa could not have a regular birthday dinner party because of me since I had a show that night :(...

Anyway he really liked the cake, as everyone in my family! It was just so good, it was moist but not uncooked, it was not too sweet and it had that lovely exotic touch of coconut. I think I could eat the hole cake by myself... Or maybe not... It gets really big...

Ingredients:

Coconut cake

• 7 oz (230 g) butter, room temperature
• 10 oz (280 g) sugar
• 4 eggs
• 15 oz (435 g) self-rising flour
• 8 fl oz (235 ml) coconut milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Coconut flakes

Cream cheese frosting

• 18 oz (500 g) powdered sugar
• 3.5 oz (100 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 8.5 oz (240 g) cream cheese, room temperature

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. Grease two cake pans and sprinkle them with flour.
3. Cream butter until smooth. Add the sugar and cream for more 5 min. Add the eggs one at once and mix well after each adding.
4. Add the flour to the butter mix interpolating it with the coconut milk.  Then stir in the vanilla extract just until mixed.
5. Pour equal amounts of dough into the pans and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let them cool in the pans.
6. Prepare the cream cheese frosting. Cream the sugar, the butter and the cream cheese for five minutes in medium velocity, until well mixed and creamy. Don’t over beat or it will get too liquid.
7. Cut the cakes in half. Place a layer in a serving dish, spread some frosting and sprinkle some coconut flakes. Repeat with the remaining layers. Spread the frosting on the top and sides of the cake and spread coconut flakes. Keep it in the fridge until serving.

So as you can see the recipe itself is not difficult, what give some troubles is the assembling of the cake with the cutting and frosting and all that. My advice is to spread a thin layer of frosting, take the cake to the fridge for like 30 min and then spread a thick layer of that heavenly cream, this will prevent cake crumbs to get into the frosting.

Chocolate chip and peanut cookies

Hey guys! Did u miss me? Probably not… oh well xD! Hahaahahaha

So this is probably my first completely successful cookie recipe, you know, I’ve tried many times before and they get tasty but they never had got the perfect size, texture, shape, or whatever that this unbelievable amazing cookies did. They got just perfect and I ate waaaayyyy to many than I should.

I made these cookies for a road trip and I gave some to my colleagues that liked them much more than their supermarket packed cookies, yet, as I have said, I ate the most of them specially because we were doing windsurf, paddle surf and canoeing in the afternoon so we didn’t had much for lunch and as a result after all this activities we were starving…

Peanut and chocolate cookies

Ingredients:

• ½ cup + 1 tablespoon (125 g) butter softened
• ½ cup +2 tablespoons (125 g) light brown sugar
• 1 egg slightly beaten
• 1 + ¼ cup (150 g) flour (not self-raising)
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¾ cup (75 g) oat flakes
• 2 cups chocolate broken into pieces.
• 1 cup peanuts chopped

Directions:

1. Line baking sheet and spray it with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 360ºF.
2. Cream butter and sugar together. Stir in the egg.
3. Add the flour, baking powder and oats and mix until smooth.
4. Fold in the chocolate pieces and the peanuts.
5. With a teaspoon make small balls of dough in the baking sheet and flat them with a fork.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Let them in the sheet for 2 min. and then remove them to a kitchen net for better cooling.

Well, there isn’t much I can say, my mom was glad that I left two or three cookies at home for her and daddy (and I was glad two cause if I had more with me I probably had ate them… Oh Rita…). Enjoooooyyyyyy!!!!!

Herbed garlic sauce and Sea dip

Wazzup yooo?? Hehehe, sorry…

Well, as I promised in the previous post, now I’m sharing with you some secrets for a great party. Everybody loves some great salsa or a creamy dip to have with some toasts or chips so here are some of my (and my guests ;)) favorites.

I made up this version of garlic sauce because I became a fan after having a pita at Joshua’s, and then my friends became fans after trying mine, they got like eyes wide opened staring at me a bit scared a bit amazed and as it is a reaaaaaalllllyyyyy easy recipe I think you’ll just have the same reaction from people J just try it.

Herbed garlic sauce

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3/4 skim milk
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Beat all ingredients until well mixed and foamy. Let it cool before serving.

My tip is doing it the night before and DON’T ADD ANY OTHER SPICE or it will burn your tongue!!

This sea dip is an improvement of the common tuna paste, it’s really tasty and you’ll just want to eat it directly from the bowl… I speak for self-experience…

Sea dip

Ingredients:

• ½ cup canned tuna (drained)
• ¼ cup sea fruits
• 1/3 cup light cream cheese
• 2/3 cup mayonnaise

Directions:

1. Stir all the ingredients until smooth.

As you could see both recipes were basic preparations, great for when you’re just out of time and ideas J enjoyyy!!

Triple chocolate muffins

Hello cuties ;)!! I feel like I am remembering you that I’m in holidays in every post and I really hope that doesn’t bother you… but guess what? I’m in holidays! So last week I invited some friends over, ordered some pizzas, unpacked some chips but I shore had to do something on my own. So besides some lovely dips that I will share with you later, I did the most chocolaty muffins ever! I couldn’t even tell if they came from heaven or from underneath because they were so heavenly good but they were SUCH A TEMPTATION! Migohsss…. My girls were like “Jesus, I want to have another, but I’m just so full!!!!!” Yeah they liked them.

These muffins are chocolate flavored plus they have chocolate chips, white and milk, mixed in. In the recipe there are milk chocolate chips, but I used dark, it’s also really good… Who knows? Maybe next time I’ll use the three! Just making shore next time I won’t eat so much uncooked batter… Oh Rita…

Triple chocolate muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chocolate cut into pieces
• ¾ cup milk (you’ll need more)
• ¼ cup butter
• 2 + 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 cup chocolate powder
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¾ cup warm milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup hot water
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 390ºF and place 24 liners in the muffin tin.
2. In a small pan set over low heat melt the chocolate pieces with butter and the first ¾ cup of milk.
3. Mix the flour, baking soda, chocolate powder and sugar.
4. Beat the egg with the warm milk and the vanilla.
5. Add the egg mixture to flour mixture, stir to combine, then add the chocolate mixture, stir again and finally add the hot water and stir until smooth.
6. Involve the chocolate chips and spoon the batter into the muffin tins filling them almost until the top.
7. Bake for 10 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 360ºF and bake for another 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

This recipe is great, it’s not too difficult (actually it’s kind of easy) and in a short time you’ll have the perfect muffins for chocolate lovers! They’re really good, I’m missing them right now… Have fun!

Orange rolled pie

Hello again!  My family has a really nice tradition of Sunday lunches at my place (my parent’s but ok). Usually some nice barbecue or a huge pan of heaaavvyy Portuguese food like “feijoada” or “favada” or “ervilhada” (various bean stews). Last weekend we stood for some grilled codfish and I baked the dessert as usual.  This time I chose a kind of typical Portuguese dessert inserted in the conventual bakery (sweets created by nuns in convents). I “invented” the translation for English and named it orange rolled pie, it is really moist, almost like a pudding, and it naturally gets a very sweet syrup and it is baked as a sheet so that it can be rolled up. It’s reaaaallyyy good!

Orange rolled pie

Ingredients:

• 2 big oranges (you’ll need rind and juice)
• 1/3 cup butter
• 8 eggs
• 1 + 1/4 cup sugar (+ for sprinkling)
• 1/2 tablespoon flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 390ºF and prepare a 1 inch deep baking sheet (grease it with butter and line parchment paper, again greased)
2. Grate the rind of the two oranges and take their juice, gather both in a small bowl.
3. In a microwave-safe bowl or in a small pan melt the butter
4. Briefly beat the eggs and the sugar (in the lower speed) then add the melted butter, orange grind and juice, beat for a while then slowly stir in the flour and baking powder. (the batter should be reeeaaalllyy liquid)
5. Spoon the batter into the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, place on a clean surface a clean dishcloth and sprinkle it with sugar.
7. The pie will be really moist but it will be cooked when it is solid and golden-brown on top, be careful not to burn the edges.
8. Remove it from the oven and immediately turn it over the prepared dishcloth. Remove the paper and roll the pie by pulling one edge of the cloth over itself, it should be thin so it will naturally get rolled.

This recipe is quick to make but maybe a little bit difficult especially the part of taking it out of the baking sheet and rolling it up, it is needed practice. Anyway I really liked the result so I wish you good luck because everyone will LOVE IT J Enjoy!

Shrimp & Bell pepper stir-fry

Hi everyone! So until now I have only shared with you sweeeeeet sugary recipes, so today I decided to give you something for lunch. Not give you, give you but give you the idea hehehehe, sorry…

OK, my mom is a very busy woman and now I am in holidays so I can prepare a nice lunch for us both. The other day I was looking for something to grill but then I saw some frozen bell-peppers and a package of shrimp and I was like: “LET’S MAKE NOODLES!!!!!”

Yeah I grabedd a few more things and the result was DEL… (Wait for it)… ISHIOUS! (Yes, I’m a fan of “How I met your mother” ;) )

Shrimp and bell pepper stir fry

(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon ginger root sliced (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper (seedless) sliced thinly
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1/3 cup sliced onion
• 1 cup bell pepper sliced (mix red, green and yellow)
• 1 cup shrimp
• 1 1/2 cup leek
• 1/3 cup grated carrot
• 1/2 cup canned soy beans
• 1/3 cup canned sliced mushrooms
• 3 cups pasta (after cooked)  (I used fettuccine because its large but rice noodles would also be nice)
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook pasta as package instructions and drain it.
2. In a wok (set over medium heat) heat the olive oil with the ginger root, hot pepper and garlic, when it's hot add the onion and bell pepper.
3. Let the onion and peppers soften for a while then add the shrimp, when they’re half cooked add the leek and carrot.
4. Low the heat and cover the wok with an appropriated top and let it sweat in there for a while only shaking it. 
5. When the leek is soft, add the soy beans and mushrooms, let them soften (again) and then add the pasta and the sauce. Make shore everything is well mixed and temper with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

This is actually a very healthy low-fat recipe and has the bell pepper which is a very good for your health. It is very tasty, easy and fast to make and you’ll get loaded!

Thank you for reading and enjoy!