Influenced by Portuguese Cuisine

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Influenced by Portuguese Cuisine

A Few of My Favorites

Portuguese CuisineTonight I’m putting together Alcatra using turkey breast instead of the usual beef roast. And since I’ll have the oven going all night I might as well make Boston Baked Beans, my Grandmother’s recipe, pictured upper left. Please enjoy these additional recipes while the Alcatra is baking.

Top row: Additionally, Linguica Prosciutto Pizza and Portuguese Rice Pudding

Middle row: Portuguese Hash, Portuguese Cowboy Spaghetti, Portuguese Beans with Linguica

Bottom row: Sponge Cake, Vinho D’ Alhos, Sweet Bread Not into Sweet Bread, try this favorite, Pops.

Roasted Red Potatoes

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Roasted Red Potatoes

Holiday Suggestions

Roasted Red Potatoes

During the Holidays my home is pleasantly filled to the brime with family and delicious food. Thanksgiving Day revolves around one big meal but overnighters are hungry long before this meal is served. Here I’ve included several quick recipes to satiate those appetites until dinner is served. Sausage and Navy Bean Soup, a simple soup satisfying both young and old, can be made ahead. Tex Mex Migas, Austin’s fav, is everyone’s when you have multiple toppings to add. The Hot Chocolate Bar is fun for all. Shave your favorite chocolate bars for spooning into heated milk and don’t forget sweetened whipped cream and marshmallows. These Roasted Red Potatoes are simple but tangy tasty. And the perfect accompaniment with red meat. Continue reading for this recipe.

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Mini Pumpkins Stuffed with Smoked Turkey

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Mini Pumpkins Stuffed with Smoked Turkey

& Red Lemon-Butter Sauce

Mini Stuffed PumpkinsFrom one of my favorite restaurants right here in my home town. The Vintage Press has been around for many years. The food is 5 star. I love this family owned restaurant for so many reasons. Andy and I had our first date at the Vintage Press. Andy said he knew he was in trouble when I ordered the most expensive entree on the menu, haha. But in my defense (my husband was a prosecutor) we weren’t into wine in those days. Now I appreciate a wine that just might be more expensive than the entree. I have so much history here, Mother’s Day Brunches, a Wedding Reception, Birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, and many dinners & brunches in between. The menu fluctuates very little except during holidays but what this means is the signature dishes are perfected. And the Chef shares many recipes! Who does that! I have to admit while my execution is very very good with this recipe the Chef has me beat. I changed the recipe up a bit and I will let you know where. I prefer turkey, in general, over chicken … just because. And I teased the idea of teaming the smoked turkey with provolone, there’s history there, but provolone just doesn’t work as well as Emmental or Jarlsberg. This is a seasonal dish at The VP. And I must say their pumpkins must be brought in special. They’re meaty not stringy. If you haven’t pumpkins this stuffing can work in acorn squash. And it goes without saying the Red Lemon-Butter Sauce is versatile as well. Enjoy!

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Swiss Chard and Pasta

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Swiss Chard & Pasta with Cognac

Swiss Chard & PastaLove Swiss Chard! Team it with pasta and it’s perfect. I love the young tender colorful variety of chard I grow in my garden but this year with our current drought I was not as inspired. So, off to my local market! Now, the choices in my market are not many. I’m just excited to see fresh Swiss Chard even if it’s mature with large tough stalks. Just remove the stalk and the spine that travels up the leaf … It works! What remains is a tasty green to add to this pasta dish. Add a little Cognac and this simple dish dazzles. Just ask my guy. Yes, we like to accompany this with a nice wine and prosciutto, and it’s our main dish.

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Panettone French Toast with Pumpkin

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Panettone French Toast

with Pumpkin

Breakfast or dessert

Panettone French Toast

While we’re all becoming very familiar with the popular overnight French Toast Breakfast Casserole know this is just a bit different. Pumpkin is added to the egg and milk mixture and poured over a rich Panettone. And why wait overnight!

I’ve baked my Pumpkin Panettone to use in this recipe. But know you can use just about any variation of Panettone.

I don’t know about you but I’m always running out of syrup. As a child I’d concoct these watery versions of maple syrup with maple extract, sugar and water. I was on the right track but just needed to heat the mixture for awhile to reduce and thicken. Enjoy my simple version of maple syrup. No maple extract? No biggie … It works without it too. Really!

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Vegetarian Beans

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Vegetarian Beans

A Recipe Makeover

Vegetarian BeansAre you looking for the beans to serve with your Deep Pit Barbecue? Or maybe just looking for a good Vegetarian Beans Recipe to serve over rice. Either way this is a good choice. If you’re a “beans connoisseur” you might believe you’ve seen this recipe before. Yes, it’s a very close relative to Arizona Bean Pot. It isn’t that I need to reinvent a recipe, but rather it’s convenience … For my ever changing schedule and time availability. I bet  you can relate! Spend a few minutes putting this together. Simple!

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Chicken and Rice Salad

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Warm Chicken Salad

Chicken and Rice SaladDelicious option for that leftover chicken and rice you had last night. A side dish but can be your main dish especially for that week-end brunch. I love it hot or cold (refrigerated after baking). Was this the rice dish that made such a hit the fall of ’69? Just seems like yesterday the family was gathering for the first born. Thankfully for me <smile> he looks a lot younger than he is. If you need a make ahead dish this is perfect! If you just love the combination of chicken and rice you can’t pass this up!

 

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Custard Bread Pudding

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Simple Custard Bread Pudding

Custard Bread PuddingWhen I first came across this recipe I knew it was Portuguese in origin. Or at least from my grandmother’s recipe collection. Now that I’ve made this wonderful pudding I’m clueless who to thank. Here is an old fashioned custard bread pudding that isn’t only simple but requires no sauce or additional adornment. Serve this as a dessert or as part of your buffet brunch. It works as a side or lite main dish.

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Cold Cucumber Soup

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Easy Cucumber Soup

Cold Cucumber Soup

Really refreshing! The perfect summer soup. Serve in your fine china with your table draped in linen for an elegant presentation because this soup deserves it. Give yourself time for this soup for the best flavor. It’s not the prep but rather the hours needed for the flavors to blend while refrigerated. And yes, it does become soupier. My photos just didn’t give this what I’d hoped. And of course, I was tasting this all along until I didn’t have enough soup to photograph. It’s that light, delicious and so low calorie. Add a sprinkle of paprika too if you like. Aubree and Austin, my grandchildren, love cucumbers sprinkled with paprika. So, I added a bit as a garnish … the red shadows seen on the far dish. Don’t forget to refrigerate those sterling soup spoons. Enjoy!

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Macaroni and Tomatoes

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Easy Side: Macaroni and Tomatoes

Macaroni and TomatoesEvery Summer for at least my teenage years my mother’s garden had an over abundance of tomatoes. We definitely were organic in those days because I remember the tomato worms as we called them. It was my job to pull them off the tomato vines. I still squirm to this day just thinking about them. Tomatoes were definitely one fruit my mother canned every summer. She peeled and cooked them for a bit before placing the fruit into quart jars. These canned tomatoes made the best spaghetti sauce. It was also a tradition to make macaroni and tomatoes on the day of the canning, mainly for mother and me. If you’re thinking Italian, this is definitely not an Italian recipe. I’m not sure of the origin. Mother would simply add elbow macaroni to the tomatoes and cook until the macaroni was tender, usually overcooked. Then came sugar, lots of it. I loved it! No this is not exactly that recipe! This is a great side dish to add to your summer barbecue. Light and tasty!

Tomatoes in Jars, take a tour of this site jansjars.blogspot.com for a beautiful view. Not unlike what I remember.
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