My husband and I love Alfred Hitchcock movies, and we'd thought we'd seen all the ones worth seeing. A few weeks ago I was looking at something else entirely on IMDB when I stumbled across To Catch a Thief (1955). Last weekend my husband and I were looking for something to watch on Netflix after the kids were in bed, and I decided Cary Grant and Grace Kelly were too awesome to pass up.
Both my husband and I loved To Catch a Thief. In classic Hitchcock style, there's witty dialogue, interesting characters, red herrings, long camera shots, great buildup to a nailbiting ending, and awesome costumes by Edith Head. Seriously, I would love to own almost every item of clothing Grace Kelly wore in that movie.
Cary Grant plays a former cat burglar who is under suspicion for a new string of thefts in the south of France. He decides to catch the thief before the police catch him. He meets Grace Kelly along the way, and she figures out who he is and is convinced he's the thief. Through an elaborate plan involving the insurance agent, Grant, Kelly, and her mother finally catch the real burglar.
We had a great time watching, and it took us quite awhile to figure out who the thief was. Go watch it.
http://pinterest.com/pin/353180795747712913/
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
BBQ sauce
I like making my own barbecue sauce. Ever since I found this recipe from the excellent book, Great Food Fast by Martha Stewart's Everyday Food department, I haven't bought the bottled stuff, though I still have a soft spot for Sonny's. Martha Stewart's is particularly good for shredded pork, beef, or chicken sandwiches, as it isn't too thick. Sweet, but not too sweet. A little mustard, but not a mustard base. Vinegar and hot sauce for a little kick, but not overpowering (and you can always adjust the hot sauce to taste).
But it calls for molasses, which is hard to come by here in Brazil. I know it exists, but I have yet to see it in a conventional grocery store. Last night I had a leftover (and slightly overdone) beef roast that didn't sound good as a repeat but sounded great as a BBQ beef sandwich. I needed a sauce without molasses and a minimum of brown sugar, as that doesn't exist at all here and I guard it like it's gold. I dug around online and found this little gem.
It calls for apple cider vinegar, which I couldn't find, but I used Brazilian apple vinegar, which is close. Other substitutes for apple cider vinegar include diluted red wine, sherry, or champagne vinegars. I also didn't use as much hot sauce or salt as it called for. Result: Good vinegar-based thin sauce, if you like that kind. If you like a sweeter or thicker sauce, or if you balk at the tang of the vinegar (and it's pretty strong), the Martha Stewart one is a safer bet. It made our meat a lot tastier, and even my two-year-old liked it. I might try it again after getting back to the states, as I think real apple cider vinegar would really help. If you try it, let me know how it went.
http://pinterest.com/pin/353180795747794362/
http://pinterest.com/pin/353180795747798345/
But it calls for molasses, which is hard to come by here in Brazil. I know it exists, but I have yet to see it in a conventional grocery store. Last night I had a leftover (and slightly overdone) beef roast that didn't sound good as a repeat but sounded great as a BBQ beef sandwich. I needed a sauce without molasses and a minimum of brown sugar, as that doesn't exist at all here and I guard it like it's gold. I dug around online and found this little gem.
It calls for apple cider vinegar, which I couldn't find, but I used Brazilian apple vinegar, which is close. Other substitutes for apple cider vinegar include diluted red wine, sherry, or champagne vinegars. I also didn't use as much hot sauce or salt as it called for. Result: Good vinegar-based thin sauce, if you like that kind. If you like a sweeter or thicker sauce, or if you balk at the tang of the vinegar (and it's pretty strong), the Martha Stewart one is a safer bet. It made our meat a lot tastier, and even my two-year-old liked it. I might try it again after getting back to the states, as I think real apple cider vinegar would really help. If you try it, let me know how it went.
http://pinterest.com/pin/353180795747794362/
http://pinterest.com/pin/353180795747798345/
Friday, March 1, 2013
Abs
I gave birth to my second child about two months ago. I've begun exercising again, and I'm determined to strengthen my abs better this time around. After my first kid, I tried half-heartedly to work on my core but never really saw much improvement. Two friends posted ab/core workouts on the same day, so I thought I'd give them and another I'd pinned earlier a try while both kids are down for their naps.
The first is specifically geared toward women who've had kids, as the abdominal muscles can not only stretch but also separate during pregnancy. This is particularly a problem for women who have had C-sections. I liked this but got a little lightheaded during the second exercise. I'm probably breathing wrong. Also, I don't have a stability ball, so the fifth exercise was hard to do. I'd like to continue with this series of exercises, but I think a lot of the impact comes from just keeping your abs tight. I can do that without a big set of moves.
The second is a Jillian Michaels workout on YouTube. I have an aversion to Jillian Michaels after doing her cardio yoga video a year or so ago, but I think that was because she was so out of her element. This video seemed much more her style, and it's hard to argue with the results of her body. The video is about 6.5 minutes and does a great job at targeting your bottom and thighs, but there was only one ab strengthener. I'd like to find another video of hers that deals more with abs.
The third is from Prevention. I pinned it because it doesn't require any extra equipment—just you and your mat and a wall. Again, the ab part of this was less noticeable (we'll see how my tummy feels tomorrow), but I imagine this workout would be very effective in slimming your bottom and thighs.
http://pinterest.com/pin/353180795747742470/
http://pinterest.com/pin/353180795747742653/
http://pinterest.com/pin/353180795747673277/
The first is specifically geared toward women who've had kids, as the abdominal muscles can not only stretch but also separate during pregnancy. This is particularly a problem for women who have had C-sections. I liked this but got a little lightheaded during the second exercise. I'm probably breathing wrong. Also, I don't have a stability ball, so the fifth exercise was hard to do. I'd like to continue with this series of exercises, but I think a lot of the impact comes from just keeping your abs tight. I can do that without a big set of moves.
The second is a Jillian Michaels workout on YouTube. I have an aversion to Jillian Michaels after doing her cardio yoga video a year or so ago, but I think that was because she was so out of her element. This video seemed much more her style, and it's hard to argue with the results of her body. The video is about 6.5 minutes and does a great job at targeting your bottom and thighs, but there was only one ab strengthener. I'd like to find another video of hers that deals more with abs.
The third is from Prevention. I pinned it because it doesn't require any extra equipment—just you and your mat and a wall. Again, the ab part of this was less noticeable (we'll see how my tummy feels tomorrow), but I imagine this workout would be very effective in slimming your bottom and thighs.
http://pinterest.com/pin/353180795747742470/
http://pinterest.com/pin/353180795747742653/
http://pinterest.com/pin/353180795747673277/
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Sugar Cookies and Fudge
Valentine's Day isn't celebrated here in Brazil, but my husband and I thought we'd give some Valentine cookies and fudge to some of our friends and fellow ex-pats. I also thought it would be fun to have my son (age two and a bit) help with decorating a cookie or two for himself and a friend. I don't have a go-to sugar cookie recipe, so I was excited to find this one from Alton Brown. I usually trust his recipes, and his show is pretty awesome, so I gave it a whirl.
Let me just say this: sugar cookies are a pain. Refrigerate. Roll out, but don't overwork. Curse under your breath as you have clearly overworked the dough after not being able to roll it out because it was too refrigerated. All that, and I have yet to find a dough that tastes good (which didn't stop me from eating it). Sigh.
These turned out fine and were made downright awesome by the addition of my mom's buttercream frosting (beat a stick of butter, add about 1/4 bag powdered sugar, 1-2 T. milk, 1 t. or so vanilla. Beat. Add more powdered sugar, about another 1/4 of the bag, until you reach desired consistency. Add a little more milk if your frosting gets too stiff). I used red and a smidge of blue food coloring to make a nice pink frosting for our heart cookies. I used pink/white, chocolate, and star-shaped sprinkles, and my husband and I went to town decorating. My son insisted on placing each star by poking his finger into the frosting. We had fun, but sugar cookies will only happen once or twice a year.
By comparison, the fudge was ridiculously easy. I used the sweetened condensed milk version that doesn't require a candy thermometer or any real difficulty whatsoever. It was good, but a little firm for my taste. I'd like to try real fudge sometime too. My copy of The Joy of Cooking has one that seems doable. The fudge could have been adapted to have nuts inside or pretzels on top. You could also marble in some sweetened condensed milk before the fudge sets to give some visual interest. Seasonal sprinkles would be fun too.
Our friends enjoyed the cookies and fudge (and the Star Wars valentines we included), and we had a nice time decorating and spending time together. However, I'd like to try a softer fudge and only give cookies whose dough doesn't require refrigeration.
http://pinterest.com/pin/353180795747654054/
http://pinterest.com/pin/353180795747662719/
Let me just say this: sugar cookies are a pain. Refrigerate. Roll out, but don't overwork. Curse under your breath as you have clearly overworked the dough after not being able to roll it out because it was too refrigerated. All that, and I have yet to find a dough that tastes good (which didn't stop me from eating it). Sigh.
These turned out fine and were made downright awesome by the addition of my mom's buttercream frosting (beat a stick of butter, add about 1/4 bag powdered sugar, 1-2 T. milk, 1 t. or so vanilla. Beat. Add more powdered sugar, about another 1/4 of the bag, until you reach desired consistency. Add a little more milk if your frosting gets too stiff). I used red and a smidge of blue food coloring to make a nice pink frosting for our heart cookies. I used pink/white, chocolate, and star-shaped sprinkles, and my husband and I went to town decorating. My son insisted on placing each star by poking his finger into the frosting. We had fun, but sugar cookies will only happen once or twice a year.
By comparison, the fudge was ridiculously easy. I used the sweetened condensed milk version that doesn't require a candy thermometer or any real difficulty whatsoever. It was good, but a little firm for my taste. I'd like to try real fudge sometime too. My copy of The Joy of Cooking has one that seems doable. The fudge could have been adapted to have nuts inside or pretzels on top. You could also marble in some sweetened condensed milk before the fudge sets to give some visual interest. Seasonal sprinkles would be fun too.
Our friends enjoyed the cookies and fudge (and the Star Wars valentines we included), and we had a nice time decorating and spending time together. However, I'd like to try a softer fudge and only give cookies whose dough doesn't require refrigeration.
http://pinterest.com/pin/353180795747654054/
http://pinterest.com/pin/353180795747662719/
Brazilian Recipes: Torta
Torta is delicious. It reminds me a little bit of a shepherd's pie, but with a bready layer instead of mashed potatoes. I found this recipe on the excellent blog, Eating Like a Brazilian and decided to give it a whirl shortly after moving to São Paulo. Happily, it doesn't require any particularly Brazilian ingredients, so my friends in the US should have no problems adapting it.
I followed the recipe pretty much as written the first time around. The more I've made it (another 4 or 5 times), the more I've played around with it. Leave out the green olives. Always. I really don't understand the Brazilian obsession with them. The blogger recommends thoroughly cooking the meat so there's very little juice left in the pan; I disagree. Because this is going in the oven too, I'd leave the meat a little underdone so it's not overdone when you serve. I'd also leave some of the juices (you could still drain off some of the fat if you want) so you have a more gravy-ish filling.
Shredded carrots are great (and a fantastic way to sneak in some more vegetables) in the meat filling. Corn from the US would be great, but Brazilian canned corn is tough and kind of gross. The mayo in the breading is wholly unnecessary, as is about half the oil. Definitely add the Parmesan cheese to the breading. You will not be sorry. Also, the whipped egg white isn't totally necessary, but your torta will look far more appetizing if you spread it over the top; it gives it a nice brown crustiness.
I like the mozzarella, but I'd love to try a more flavorful cheese sometime too. Extra sharp cheddar would be awesome, as would Swiss.
Variations:
http://pinterest.com/pin/353180795747641093/
I followed the recipe pretty much as written the first time around. The more I've made it (another 4 or 5 times), the more I've played around with it. Leave out the green olives. Always. I really don't understand the Brazilian obsession with them. The blogger recommends thoroughly cooking the meat so there's very little juice left in the pan; I disagree. Because this is going in the oven too, I'd leave the meat a little underdone so it's not overdone when you serve. I'd also leave some of the juices (you could still drain off some of the fat if you want) so you have a more gravy-ish filling.
.JPG) |
| I threw in lots of green peppers, onions, and carrots this time around. |
.JPG) |
| Mmmmm. Meat. |
.JPG) |
| Before baking |
.JPG) |
| After baking. So good. |
Variations:
- Add veggies to your filling: green or red peppers, mushrooms, hearts of palm (called palmitos here), shredded sweet potatoes, onions, or anything else that will hold up during baking
- Add brown gravy either to the filling or on top to serve
- Try different cheeses or even a mixture of various shredded cheeses. If you change the sliced cheese to cheddar, your torta will be a little more like a hamburger, especially if you add ketchup or mustard to serve.
- Your spices can change the whole meal. Try seasoning with basil, oregano, and a little rosemary and then serve with a spaghetti sauce for an Italian torta. Or use cumin and chili powder for a taco torta. Curry might be interesting too.
- Add some pepperoni for flavor and top with pizza sauce to serve
- Who says you have to use beef? Try it with chicken or sausage.
http://pinterest.com/pin/353180795747641093/
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Marble Cake with Satin Icing
I follow Martha Stewart's boards, and sometimes they are really awesome. I saw her Chocolate-Vanilla Marble Cakes and decided to try it. It uses a homemade yellow cake batter, which was pretty good. I do not have cake flour on hand ever, so I used this substitute from Joy the Baker. You then divide the batter in half, and to one half add (already combined) 6 T. hot water and 1/2 c. cocoa powder and stir. This also tasted good.
Problems arose when I used my loaf pans. I have two largish Pyrex pans, and the recipe calls for four small (possibly metal) ones. I did the swirling far too many times and ended up with an interior of the cake that was less marbled than I wanted. If I had only used larger dollops fewer times, the effect would likely have been better. Because my pans were larger, I baked longer, which made sense. I only wish I had started checking my cakes a little sooner, as they were a little dry for my taste.
My husband and I had some friends over for dinner, and I had planned to serve this as dessert and thought it could use some sort of glaze or icing. I settled on this one from AllRecipes.com. It was thicker than I imagined and would be better on a Bundt cake as shown. I was hoping for a thinner glaze, but the taste was good. It also seemed to go a little grainy after I added the vanilla at the end.
My other beef with this cake was that it didn't stay good for very long. Those friends I mentioned brought dessert, so mine stayed on the counter. I was very good and didn't eat it, but when we went to serve it for dessert three days later, it was no longer edible. The taste was off...kind of...fermenty.
Bottom line:
I wouldn't mind trying it again, but maybe with a boxed yellow cake mix with the chocolate mixture added. The home-made batter and cake flour substitute was more than I really wanted to do that afternoon. I'd also choose a different glaze and start checking the cakes around 45 minutes, not an hour.
http://pinterest.com/pin/353180795747709162/
http://pinterest.com/pin/353180795747705333/
http://pinterest.com/pin/353180795747705332/
Problems arose when I used my loaf pans. I have two largish Pyrex pans, and the recipe calls for four small (possibly metal) ones. I did the swirling far too many times and ended up with an interior of the cake that was less marbled than I wanted. If I had only used larger dollops fewer times, the effect would likely have been better. Because my pans were larger, I baked longer, which made sense. I only wish I had started checking my cakes a little sooner, as they were a little dry for my taste.
My husband and I had some friends over for dinner, and I had planned to serve this as dessert and thought it could use some sort of glaze or icing. I settled on this one from AllRecipes.com. It was thicker than I imagined and would be better on a Bundt cake as shown. I was hoping for a thinner glaze, but the taste was good. It also seemed to go a little grainy after I added the vanilla at the end.
My other beef with this cake was that it didn't stay good for very long. Those friends I mentioned brought dessert, so mine stayed on the counter. I was very good and didn't eat it, but when we went to serve it for dessert three days later, it was no longer edible. The taste was off...kind of...fermenty.
Bottom line:
I wouldn't mind trying it again, but maybe with a boxed yellow cake mix with the chocolate mixture added. The home-made batter and cake flour substitute was more than I really wanted to do that afternoon. I'd also choose a different glaze and start checking the cakes around 45 minutes, not an hour.
http://pinterest.com/pin/353180795747709162/
http://pinterest.com/pin/353180795747705333/
http://pinterest.com/pin/353180795747705332/
What I Do Here
I try really hard to keep my Pinterest boards realistic. I currently live in São Paulo, Brazil, and there are just a lot of items I can't get here. Craft stores as we know them in the US don't exist, and neither does sour cream. Cream cheese is quite expensive, and don't even get me started on Cream of Whatever condensed soups. I live in a nice but old apartment, and putting nails in the cinder-block walls is out of the question, so most of the decorating ideas my friends pin are not going to happen while we live here. I know I'd spend way too much time on Pinterest if I pinned everything I liked just because I liked it, so I try to keep my pins restricted to things I actually think I could do, given my own circumstances.
I'm also the kind of person who likes to keep track of what she's done and how it turned out. This is why I love Goodreads.
So this blog is my attempt to account for what I've done, what changes I made or would make, whether I'd attempt it again or recommend it to my friends, etc. I plan on writing about projects, crafts, recipes, movies, and the other ideas I see pop on on my friends' boards. I'm not super crafty, even when I have access to American craft stores, so you're getting the perspective of a total amateur. I like to see this as a strength; if I can do it, anyone can.
Feel free to follow my boards, comment on what you see, and share the love.
I'm also the kind of person who likes to keep track of what she's done and how it turned out. This is why I love Goodreads.
So this blog is my attempt to account for what I've done, what changes I made or would make, whether I'd attempt it again or recommend it to my friends, etc. I plan on writing about projects, crafts, recipes, movies, and the other ideas I see pop on on my friends' boards. I'm not super crafty, even when I have access to American craft stores, so you're getting the perspective of a total amateur. I like to see this as a strength; if I can do it, anyone can.
Feel free to follow my boards, comment on what you see, and share the love.
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