Can’t Sleep? Craving Chocolate? This quick brownie is your late night partner in crime. Five minutes simple one bowl mix, 25-30 minutes baking, and you’ve got chewy edges, gooey center and zero regrets. Perfect for one or two if you’re feeling like sharing. (But honestly, why share?)
Welcome to the first official post in my Portuguese Twist series! I’ve been experimenting in the kitchen, taking familiar comfort foods and giving them a bold Portuguese spin. Think Rustic flavors, paprika, garlic, a touch of lemon, and that homey warmth that makes you want to eat straight from the pan.
I love this recipe because it’s flexible. You can leave the skin and bones on for roasting or remove them if you prefer. And those potatoes are garlic and paprika rich in the juices! It’s a recipe you’ll want to make again and again.
Portuguese Twists
Over time, I’ve found myself adding Portuguese touches to familiar recipes, not to reinvent them but to deepen them. Portuguese cooking is rooted in bold simplicity: garlic, paprika, olive oil, citrus, fresh herbs, and slow patient flavor building. Those elements translate beautifully into everyday dishes.
What started as small adjustments has turned into a quiet theme in my kitchen, Portuguese Twists on classics.
This post is the starting point. I’ll be sharing some of those dishes I’ve put together in the past but be looking for new additions as I experiment. These recipes are not authentic in a strict sense but rather an influence. Depth and Warmth. A little Iberian backbone in familiar food.
More to come!
Note: Comments are open again! After some technical issues in the past, a number of older comments were lost, but I’m excited to hear your thoughts on our recipes, and any Portuguese Twists you’ve tried yourself.
Portuguese Twists from the Archives
Cowboy Spaghetti
Chili Beans
Short Ribs
Country Ribs
Lasagna
Pasta
Great Game Day Dip! Super fast to put together. Make it spreadable for crackers or add a little mayonnaise or sour cream for a creamier textured dip. If you’re in charge of Super Bowl Sunday snacks you’ll appreciate the simplicity. And believe me it will go fast. Just the right amount of heat … a happy medium for everyone. Slice and serve extra jalapeño on-the-side for those who must have hot.
After a few quiet days on the blog, I wanted to come back with something that feels like a warm welcome. This is the kind of dessert that does just that! It’s easy, comforting and hard to resist.
This Berry Dump Cake is one of those recipes people make once and then keep in their back pocket forever. No mixing bowls, no complicated steps and it works beautifully with fresh or frozen fruit. Serve it warm with a bit of lightly sweetened whipped cream, or ice cream.
Spicy , Creamy, Buffalo Chicken Soup-Perfect for Game Day
The flavor of Buffalo Wild Wings in a Chicken Soup … I love this soup not only for the flavor but the moist chicken shreds in a potato thickened broth. Add a bit of cream cheese for a creamier touch, or not. I used Frank’s Red Hot Original Hot Sauce which has a noticeable vinegar taste but once added to the soup it’s the perfect touch. The little bit of heat is a welcomed surprise.
A Good Luck Dish for the New Year!
It’s not too late! Goes together in minutes. And it’s darn good! Yep, having this again this year. I love it!!
This is great just as a side salad with burgers too.
When someone surprises you with a bushel of Granny Smith apples (that’s about 40 pounds of pure temptation by the way) you suddenly feel like Autumn has landed right in your kitchen. There’s something about their crisp tartness, glossy green color, and firm texture that begs to be transformed into a bubbling baked pie, a fresh just the right sweetness applesauce or to be sauteed gently in butter served over perfectly cooked pork chops. But today, I’m giving my home that cozy Fall feel by having baked these fragrant soft chewy cookies. You won’t be disappointed if you give this recipe a try.
The first time I ever had Salisbury Steak was in the 1960’s at the Visalia Country Club of all places. I was there with my girlfriend, Cathy, and her father (the beloved owner of the Visalia Chicken Shop) who had been brought in to ‘elevate the menu’ which back then mostly meant trying to nudge the place beyond sandwiches and an Arnold Palmer ice tea that was probably more like a John Daly for the golfers.
He had big dreams of turning the club into something more refined for a proper dinner or maybe even a celebration. You know, what it did become: the reunions, receptions, and social memberships that make it a dining destination today. But at that time it was still very much in its sandwich (and maybe a side salad) era.
The Salisbury Steak that night made an impression, maybe because it was one of the few things on the ‘menu’ that actually seemed ambitious. Or maybe because it was served with such confidence as though Visalia had suddenly gone cosmopolitan. Either way, that dinner has stuck in my memory all these years.
So this recipe is for them, for Cathy’s dad, who tried to bring a little culinary polish to the fairways and for everyone who ordered a sandwich mostly to justify another John Daly.
And while I won’t say anything about the current state of the food, let’s just say this homemade version might be the best Salisbury Steak the Visalia Country Club never served.
While I never was able to get the recipe I do remember his secret was the cream. I hope he would have more than liked this recipe.
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