March 2009

Finally Tried It: Black Rice

March 31, 2009

A few months ago I posted about an article regarding the attention black foods have been receiving in relation to their health benefit. Since then I kept telling myself that if I came across black rice I just had to give it a try. Lucky me, I just happened to find some at the Japanese market here in town a couple weeks ago.

So, why this interest in black rice?

Well, first of all it is different; perhaps not to Asian cultures, but certainly different and rather exotic to those of us not incredibly familiar with all Asian foods. Second, the dark color is an indicator of nutrients. Specifically, anthocyanins, which give the rice its dark purple, almost black appearance.

Anthocyanins are believed to have anti-inflammatory properties and the ability to improve serum lipid profiles which includes cholesterol and triglyceride readings. Studies have analyzed the action of anthocyanin-extract specifically from black rice and have found the above beliefs to be supported.

In addition the iron content in black rice is higher than for other varieties of rice. However, when we consider iron from plant sources such as rice, we also have to consider the bioavailability of the iron. Iron from plant sources is considered non-heme iron and is not always readily absorbed by the body. It is good to know, however, that consuming adequate amounts of vitamin C helps our body absorb more non-heme iron.

Along with its interesting nutritional makeup, black rice has a very rich history that is quite difficult to verify. It is believed that in ancient times it was only to be consumed by Emperors of China giving it the name, forbidden rice. Fortunately for us it is no longer forbidden. It is becoming more and more popular and easier to find in supermarkets.

I decided that this time around I really just wanted to taste and experience the rice itself so I didn’t add it to a complex recipe. I actually pulled a tip from the recipe for Forbidden Black Rice Salad from Lotus Foods. I didn’t have any of the veggies in for the full salad so I simply tossed my rice in sesame oil and soy sauce after it cooked.

Black rice is a medium grain rice so I didn’t cook it much differently than I do the white rice we use so often in Brazil. I cooked one cup of the rice for a few minutes in a bit of olive oil. Then I added 2 cups of water and allowed to it simmer, covered, stirring it occasionally. It took about 25 minutes for it to cook.

The first thing you will notice when cooking it is the smell. It was amazing, filling the apartment with a warm, nutty aroma. It immediately told me that I was not going to be disappointed with this find.

After it had cooked I tossed the rice in the combination of oil and soy sauce. The flavor was perfect. The dressing gave it an even greater nutty, salty taste and it went very well with the salmon I was having for lunch.

Have you tried black rice yet?

Here are a couple interesting posts about black rice from around the blogging world. Enjoy!

We Heart Stuff – Trend: Black Rice

Live to Eat: Forbidden Rice Pudding

Links to a Healthy Weekend

March 29, 2009

Whoa! Is it seriously the last weekend of March? It simply doesn’t seem possible.

This week has not been without frustration for me. Our Internet service here has been a bit of a battle since day one. It had been doing well for the past few months and within the past week we have had more problems than I can count. After losing for two days solid a couple weeks ago, it then worked for about a week. It went out for another day, was repaired and it has been on, off, on, off for hours at a time since.

We had another man out last night to repair it and we hope it will be good for a while, but I have to admit I just keep waiting for a page not to load and the lights to be blinking randomly on the modem.

I am a big fan of a break from screen time, but very much enjoy it when it is a voluntary break and not a forced one. I feel like I’m trying to play catch up with work every time service returns and since the web is my access to phone I had to miss an important conference call regarding a book I’m coauthoring with an organization I blog for.

So this explains why the links are late this week and why you probably haven’t seen me commenting around your blogs. Fortunately I was able to find several great links early this week when things were still running smoothly. Here’s hoping for a better week coming up!

I hope you’ve had a wonderful weekend!

food for living had a recipe for S’mores Oatmeal. What a great idea! I’d probably leave out the energy bar to lower calories and try to find the most natural graham cracker I could, but this is a great oats idea.

use real butter had a recipe for Sticky Toffee Pudding. This is one of those desserts I’ve always wanted to try, but haven’t been in the right place at the right time. This one looks delicious!

Everyday Cookin’ showed off some fabulous looking Crispy Fish Tacos. I’m sure they taste as good as they look. I can’t wait to give them a try!

Pizza-making machine has Italian chefs in a spin was an article on Yahoo News. This had to be the week’s most interesting read. I really think the chefs need not worry. I can’t imagine a vending machine being able to compete with the food in Italian restaurants. Although I’m headed to Italy this summer and I’ll definitely be taking a picture if I come across one.

In case you missed it Michelle who formerly blogged at What Does Your Body Good? has launched a beautiful, brand new site along with her exciting new business – Find Your Balance Health Counseling & Yoga. She’s giving away a Kripalu Cookbook of gourmet vegetarian recipes to celebrate so go check it out!

Photo of Volksgarten – Vienna, Austria

Bread Success!

March 26, 2009

Despite my past work in bread bakeries I rarely have bread success at home. I’m not sure what it is – atmosphere, yeast, lack of talent. My mom makes amazing bread and I’ve always strived to develop a similar skill at making it.

Good news! I think I finally had a bread success.

I will admit it came after a few failures, though. I had a simple baguette recipe I found in a book a long while back that I play with occasionally. It has never turned out well. One reason is that it has too much salt. I never could get used to the flavor. I decided, however, that the recipe had potential if adjusted it enough and if I set my sites on more of a loaf as opposed to a baguette.

I had some golden raisins left from my scones and a bread from my past came to mind today – Cinnamon Raisin Walnut. It has been forever since I’ve had it so I decided to give my base recipe one last attempt at being successful.

I am so happy about the loaf I ended up with. It has a hard, crusty outside and a soft inside just the way I like my bread. The cinnamon and raisins add just a touch of sweetness without being too overwhelming. I had to wrap it up and push it to the corner of the kitchen after two pieces for fear it would be gone before the end of the day.

I will warn you in advance that this is an all-day kind of bread, or at least all morning. It might be a good idea to leave this one for a relaxing weekend. My next mission will be to increase the whole wheat flour (I was almost out) and incorporate some different grains.

Cinnamon Raisin Nut Bread

1 ¼ cups warm water
1 tsp instant dry yeast
1 ½ cups white flour
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
¾ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
½ cup golden raisins
1/3 cup walnuts

Mix the yeast with water and let it sit while you mix the other ingredients. Combine the flour, salt, cinnamon, raisins and walnuts in a mixing bowl. Pour in yeast and mix with a spoonula until combined. Turn the dough out on a floured surface and knead for five to eight minutes. Form the dough into a round loaf and place in a greased bowl. Let rise for about one hour or until it has doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and form it into a long loaf. Place it in a greased loaf pan. It will look something like this.

Let it rise for 2 more hours at which point it will look more like this.

Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25 minutes or until the loaf is nicely browned on the outside. Remove from oven and use a knife to loosen the sides and de-pan immediately. Let cool on a wire rack.

Spring Cleaning

March 24, 2009

While I don’t think that cleaning should be reserved for just the spring, I got into the spirit of the season and decided to do a little spring cleaning of my own over the weekend. This cleaning wasn’t focused on my whole apartment though. My recipe file was my target.

I have this big folder in which I keep all the recipes that I tear out from magazines or jot down from who knows where. It was getting a bit out of control so I really needed to do a little updating. This is a good organizing task for me because I think my tastes change over time and what I once thought was a fabulous find doesn’t seem so appealing a year or two later.

What really surprised me as I went through my stack, though, was that it wasn’t so much that I wouldn’t like the recipe, but more so that I didn’t like the ingredients. I hadn’t realized how much my goal of reducing fake foods had influenced the appeal of recipes.

I threw away a good portion of dinner and dessert ideas that no longer interested me. The reason – because they called for fake foods. It really made me realize how much I’ve changed over the last year or so. These were some of the common culprits.

Cake mixes
Cornbread mixes
Pre-made cookie dough
Biscuit mixes
Canned soup
Instant gelatin and puddings
Whipped topping

Now I will be honest and say I didn’t toss every one that included an ingredient like this. (Well, except for the gelatin and pudding mixes. I’m just simply not into them anymore. It was an easy thing to eliminate.) Most of the things I did keep were special desserts that I’ve always enjoyed.

For example, my mom has a great rum cake recipe that starts with a yellow cake mix. I kept that because I love that cake around the holidays. My goal with these recipes is that one day I can spend some time re-creating them from scratch with more whole, healthy ingredients.

Have you experienced anything like this? How have your eating and food preferences changed over the last year?

Warm Grapefruit

March 23, 2009

While many people begin to pucker their lips at the thought of grapefruit, I am one who is fond of this sour, citrus fruit. I can remember eating it when I was younger. Topping it with sugar or artificial sweetener was simply a part of the process. However, as an adult I’ve grown to like the tart, bitter flavor. I still like a bit of sweet with my sour, but much less than before.

Grapefruit has popped up in the media several times throughout the years. Remember the “Grapefruit Diet”? It was one of those well-known fad diets promising rapid weight loss that simply required you to eat a structured diet each day with grapefruit or its juice at each meal. These diets always give me a laugh, because when you take a closer look you see that it is simply a reduction of calories that is causing the weight loss through a very structured meal plan. Somehow as a society we can’t seem to resist their appeal, though.

Even though I don’t believe in fad diets, I have no doubt that grapefruit is a miracle food. Let’s face it. Most fruits and vegetables are whether they act as the fountain of youth through age defying antioxidants or as active disease fighters via many vitamins and minerals.

While grapefruit on its own will not make all weight loss dreams come true, it will still greatly benefit our health. The first thing to point out is that when you have a choice pick the pink or ruby red varieties. As is true with most produce, colors indicate nutrients. While all grapefruits provide valuable vitamin C, the pink grapefruit flesh provides more vitamin A and is rich in the phytonutrient lycopene, also found in tomatoes. Lycopene is recognized as one of the strongest cancer-fighting antioxidants. In addition, current research is analyzing the grapefruit’s role in bone health possibly due to its antioxidant make-up.

Grapefruit is pretty much non-existent where we are living now. There is a market here that imports a variety from time to time, and last week there just happen to be some in when I stopped by. I typically steer clear of the imports because there is so much local variety to choose from, but I hadn’t had a grapefruit in so long and it sounded really good. Since there was no distinction on the sign, upon cutting it open I was happy to find that my grapefruit, was in fact of the pink/ruby variety.

I find that I like grapefruit in just about every form. I’ll eat it fresh, drink the juice, and I love those little grapefruit gummy slices; however, I am not kidding myself that latter hold any nutritional value. I addition, I love the smell and often use grapefruit scented lotion.

Despite my love of this fruit and its scent I’ve never experimented much with it. A few months ago I came across a tip in a magazine to try grapefruit broiled with some honey and walnuts. Not having tried warm grapefruit I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to give it a whirl.

It is outstanding! There is something about the heat that makes the tartness a bit milder and nothing can beat the combination of honey and walnuts. While not always a combination added to citrus fruit it actually fits quite nicely. Another thing I loved is that eating grapefruit this way turns it into more of a breakfast for all seasons. What I mean is that in the summer I like fresh, cold fruit, but in the winter I enjoy something warm. A warm grapefruit is a great way to eat fruit on a cooler morning when you need a little comfort food.

The preparation is easy. Simply cut your grapefruit in half and place it cut side up in a pan safe for broiling. Take knife and cut around the outer edge and each membrane. Drizzle the flesh with some honey and top with a few chopped walnuts. Broil for about 5 minutes or until the rind is slightly browned and serve warm.

I still have the other half in the fridge and I’m thinking maybe a salad is in order. I’ll be sure to share its final destiny later this week.

Resources:
Grapefruit pulp may boost bone health: study
Lycopene: An Antioxidant for Good Health (American Dietetics Association)
Facts about Citrus Fruits and Juices: Grapefruit (pdf) (University of Florida Extension)
WHFoods: Grapefruit

Peanut Butter Winners & Links to a Healthy Weekend

March 21, 2009

Before I post my favorite reads of the week I need to admit that I’m a little late in sharing the winners of the Great Peanut Butter Exhibition # 5 – Sandwiches. If you haven’t had a chance to head over The Peanut Butter Boy to see the results, I have listed them below.

Congratulations to all the winners! Even if you didn’t enter, click on over see all the wonderful new peanut butter recipes to try.

First Place: Peanut Butter and Caramel Smores by Brilynn at Jumbo Empanadas

Second Place: The Dunkin Ultimate PB Sammie by the husband of MaryBeth from Dunkin Cookin

There was a 4-way tie for Third place!

Maple-Date PB Belgian Wafflewich from Amy at Coffee Talk. (This was my personal favorite of the contest.)
L’eggo my PB & Pumpkin by Bodyblogger. Check out the recipe on Nick’s post.
Master of Faster Asian Kale Wrap with Tamari-Peanut Spread by Jeremy, a new blogger, from Red Chair Cooking
Cinna-Spiced Chicken PB Wrap from Brandi at Bran Appetit

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Okay, as if that isn’t enough wonderful links for this weekend, here come some more. This was one of those weeks where I found myself bookmarking page after page of good stuff. I had to narrow it down a bit to keep from making your read on all day, but here you go!

Rebecca’s everyday foods had a unique recipe for Peach Biscuit Soup. I’d never seen anything quite like it and it sounds delicious.

The plans for the White House organic garden were released in a New York Times article this week. Such an exciting project and there is all kinds of cool stuff on the planting list.

Compost and Its Rewards on The Epi-Log was a great review and personal account about using an indoor composter.

Two Peas and Their Pod featured a recipe for Snickerdoodle Blondies this week. I don’t think I need to say anymore about that winning combination. Yum!

Contests and Giveaways:

Savor the Thyme has the cutest contest going with her challenge for foodies to use Peeps as the inspiration for some culinary creations.

Diet, Dessert and Dogs is showing off her brand new site design (great!) and giving away the organic maple syrup she reviewed this week.

Economic Influence and Portion Control

March 19, 2009

I’ve had two food and health related topics on my mind lately – how the economy is influencing our food choices and gigantic portions. At first I didn’t really feel like my thoughts on the two had anything to do with each other, but the more I ponder it I think maybe they do.

Despite absorbing a small hike in food prices into our budget, living abroad has afforded us the luxury of avoiding most of the current economic struggles being experience by many in the States. Everyone is talking about it of course and I’ve been reading just about everything I come across on the subject. Though, I’ve realized that there is a big difference in reading about it and experiencing it.

When I go back to the US to visit it is much like a vacation. Everyone is happy to see me (thankfully) and typically when people want to get together it is to go eat a meal in one form or another. This leads to great opportunities for observing how the economy has changed eating out, if at all.

For example, in my hometown there has been relatively no change in the amount of people out in restaurants. My brother recently moved back to our hometown from Florida and is constantly commenting about vast differences in eating out between where he lived there and our hometown. He says that the numbers of people he saw eating out in south Florida have dropped drastically – no people hanging outside waiting for a table on the heavily restaurant-populated streets. However, in IN it seems nothing has changed.

So it has me wondering – are these simply the people that the economy has somehow failed to influence, or is it a case of drowning sorrows about current situations. To simplify, are people living beyond their means to begin with and say “What’s another charge on the credit card. Let’s go eat.”

This is where the issue of portion sizes comes in. My in-laws took me to Red Lobster while I was home last time. We all ordered off the lunch menu. The portions were appropriately sized, maybe even a little big for lunch. As I ate my meal and as we exited the restaurant something drew my attention to all the plates sitting on the tables around me (all tables which were full, by the way). I would estimate that 75% of people had large dinner platters, not the smaller lunch menu plates.

Now I would love to assume that this was the large meal for those people that day and they were going to have a light dinner, but our eating habits in the US as a whole tell me I would probably be wrong. Not only did these people have huge portions, but they also had the extra expense of purchasing a dinner entrée for lunch.

I used to feel that portion size was an issue that we were gaining control of – more restaurants offer half portions, people are educated to take ½ home in a to-go box, etc. However, I have to admit there are times when I get a bit scared for us and think – how in the world are we going to get a grasp on this unhealthy practice?

In the last 3 months I have had half salads on two occasions that could have fed two or more people. When something like that arrives to the table at first I start to chuckle about how huge it is, but then the reality sets in along with the feeling that it isn’t a laughing matter at all. It is really serious – a serious waste of resources and a risk to the health of those people who have unhealthy relationships with food.

Now, I realize the economy has affected people in many different ways and I am grossly generalizing through my observations. However, I can’t help but question what the key will be to solving our issues with portion sizes regardless of whether it is the consumer or restaurant’s fault. If a failing economy, loss of jobs and tight budgets doesn’t make us order off a less expensive menu to save money, and the health risks don’t scare us enough to eat smaller portions what will finally make use eat the way in which we were designed to.

Me? I don’t have any answers at the moment, but I definitely want to know yours.

St. Pat’s Day in Brazil

March 17, 2009

Last week I set out to plan a meal I could put together for Sunday that would serve as somewhat of a St. Patrick’s Day celebration. The holiday is non-existent around here (along with Valentine’s Day) which has always confused me due to the fact that I’m living in such a Catholic country.

Anyway, I tossed around ideas for a while considering what my ingredient restrictions would be. Then a recipe came to mind. On my ex-pat blog a long while back someone mentioned that I should try Escondidinho. This was followed by a comment from another ex-pat saying that it was like a Brazilian Shepherd’s Pie.

I had forgotten about this recipe and a couple months ago my husband took me to a new restaurant in town that he had been to previously. He said there was something on the menu he wanted to try. After ordering it, eating it and feeling that the name of the dish sounded oddly familiar I went back in my bookmarks and sure enough, it had been Escondidinho. My commenters were right, it was very similar to a Shepherd’s pie type of dish.

So keeping with the spirit of the holiday and representing the fact that I do currently live in Brazil, I decided this would be our main course. With a little research I learned that as with most popular dishes there are a variety of ways of preparing it. Many recipes exist, each with their own little twist.

The one we had at the restaurant that night was made with carne seca and topped with mashed mandioca mixed with a creamy cheese here called catipury. It was delicious. However, the recipe I had was for Escondidinho de Frango (chicken). I decided to go with this one because we had already had some ground beef throughout the week and I didn’t want more red meat.

I’ve learned it is difficult to translate recipes from another language. Some things I followed exactly and others I improvised from the original recipe, slightly guessing what the translation meant.

A few notes about ingredients. This recipe, of course, called for mandioca (manioc, yucca), considering it is likely you don’t have access to this, potatoes or another root vegetable would work well. The recipe also calls for creme de leite. This is an ingredient that doesn’t exactly match anything available in the US. A Brazilain friend once told me it was “like sour cream without the sour”. The best substitute would be heavy cream or half and half, although the viscosity isn’t exactly the same. That’s about it. Everything else should be easy to find in most places.

Escondidinho de Frango
Translated and adapted from Mais Você Culinária at globo.com

Olive oil
1 onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 tomatoes without skin (I used canned, similar to whole tomatoes)
1 small can tomato sauce
1 kg (2.2 lbs) of chicken breast, cooked and shredded 2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 kg (2.2 lbs) mandioca, cooked (substitute potatoes) 2 Tbsp butter
1 can cream of milk (1/2 cup heavy cream)
1/3 cup coconut milk
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Pepper, ground nutmeg, parsley, chives and crushed red pepper all to taste

½ cup grated mozzarella

In a medium pan cook garlic and onion in olive oil until tender. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken breast and soy sauce. Heat through, stirring to break up tomatoes. Set aside.

In a bowl, use a potato ricer to mash potatoes or use a mixer, add butter.
In a mixer beat cream milk, coconut milk, parmesan cheese, pepper, ground nutmeg, parsley and minced chives and red pepper. Add the cream to your mashed potatoes and mix well.

Grease a large glass baking dish. Pour in chicken mixture. Top with potato mixture and then sprinkle with cheese. Bake or broil until cheese is melted and top is browned. Serves 6.

And what would St. Paddy’s Day be without a little Irish whiskey. So along with this…..

I also put together a cake using the star ingredient. I came across a recipe for Apple Cake in my Joy of Cooking cookbook that was perfect to modify for making a Spiked Spice Cake.

This recipe makes one 9 –inch round cake and in order to keep us from having cake around all week I just made the one layer and then cut it in half to make a half layered cake, you’ll see below. Double recipe for a full, round layered cake.

Spiked Spice Cake

1 cup all-purpose white flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 cup mascavo sugar (or use brown sugar)
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp Irish whiskey
1 tsp vanilla

Sift together dry ingredients removing any lumps from the sugar. Stir in wet ingredients and mix until a smooth batter is formed. Poor into a greased and floured, 9-inch round cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes, de-pan and cool completely.

Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp Irish whiskey
Milk as needed – 1 to 2 Tbsp

Cream butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add vanilla, whiskey and enough milk to create a smooth, spreadable frosting.

#9 Irish Fruit Scones

March 16, 2009

While I’ve been known to enjoy a full, hearty breakfast, my usual daily selection is a bowl of oats or a simple omelet. Truth-be-told, however, without a concern for health or calories a pastry and coffee would be my favorite way to start a day. Yes, I would be sure to run out of energy in a few hours, but there is something incredibly enjoyable about a sweet treat and a strong cup of coffee.

Breakfast pastries come in many varieties and while others may go for the cinnamon roll, cheese Danish or muffin, I reserve this special breakfast spot for the scone. Put me in a bakery with an assortment of sweets and 9 times out of 10 the scone will be mine.

My love of scones started when I began working in a bakery. We used to make the most amazing blackberry, cream cheese scones you have every put in your mouth. As I’ve traveled more and tested more scones, I now realize that what we made there really wasn’t much of a scone at all. They were too sweet and cake like.

It is only after traveling to Ireland that I think I have experienced a true scone. I have found I love them just the way they are, as well. That dry crust with a bit of moist goodness in the center, just a touch of sweet flavor making jam and clotted cream the perfect addition.

In honor, of the upcoming Irish holiday I decided to make my own batch of scones. While I have tried them in the past I’ve never made the Irish Fruit Scones that I’ve enjoyed so often on our trips to the Dublin area. It also helps that this is item #9 on my list of 30 foods. I’m slowly but surely making my way through my 30th b-day list.

I used the recipe from greatfood.ie and you can find the recipe here. I had to make my own buttermilk using 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to a little less than a cup of milk. I also used golden raisins in my recipe.

While the result was not quite as perfect as those I’ve had in Ireland, I was quite pleased with the results. They make a great St. Patrick’s Day breakfast.

Tomorrow, I plan to share my Brazilian St. Patrick’s Day dinner, a traditional Irish favorite with a Brazilian twist. See you then!

A Little Me Time

March 15, 2009

I’ve found that I enjoy it when the blogs I read come to life, so-to-speak. I’m not one for sharing too much personal information, but I can easily get engrossed in a post where the author is telling me a little bit about themselves which usually includes something that has led to motivation for their blog.

So when Chef Wanabe left me this me-me I thought I’d take the time to write up a

bit this weekend. If you haven’t visited Anna’s blog you should take the time to head over there and check it out. Don’t forget to check out her About Me page where you can see some of her amazing art. Such talent!

I’m supposed to tell you 10 things about myself, so here is my list. Now, I know everyone feels a bit differently about me-mes, so I’ve decided if you’d like to participate then you have earned this award from me. Let me know if you did in the comments so I am sure to check out your post.

Working in a Great Harvest was my second job (first was working for my brother’s lawn company). I ended up working there on and off throughout college. I started at the counter eventually moving into production, including sweets and baking. I also worked in a bagel shop at one point.

For as long as I can remember I have struggled with my weight. Exercise and watching what I eat are not options for me. If I don’t do both I will gain weight without fail. I’m currently in the process of losing what I have gained since our move abroad.

I have a BS in Nutrition, Fitness and Health which was actually in the school of Consumer & Family Sciences. My MS is in Nutritional Sciences – Wellness/Sports nutrition.

I grew up with animals around me at all times – pony, sheep, goats, dog, cat, bunnies – were all part of the family.

My Dad is the most amazing gardener I know. I’ve never appreciated his skill and the fruits of his labor more than I do at this point in my life.

My Mom always ran a cake business out of our home including birthday and wedding cakes. She is extremely talented, skilled and self-taught. I have inherited neither her skill nor patience for this.

I am a product of private, Catholic school K-12. Uniforms were a norm in my life.

Travel is necessity for me. My husband and I try to travel to Europe, the Caribbean and various places throughout the US each year. I’m willing to give up a lot in order to have the money to travel.

Despite living in Brazil for almost 2 years, studying CDs, group classes and private lessons, I still have not learned to speak Portuguese sufficiently. I view this is one of my greatest failures, but what is life without a few failures along the way, I guess.

Food has a lot to do with culture for me. It is why you won’t find me eliminating grains such as white rice or meat from my life. I feel blessed that I do not have to, I might add. Cultures have survived on these types of foods throughout history. While the foods have changed drastically overtime, for me the answer is not giving them up, but going back to more natural ways of producing them.

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Last week I also received these awards from Brand New Sidewalk. Thanks Candice! I’d like to share them with Tangeled Noodle and Gastroanthropology. Two blogs about food and culture that inspire me and teach me something new with each post.