My Brazilian Feast

photo by Katie Kay

My family moved to Brazil when I was 11.  I'll never forget the year, because it's about the only thing I still remember how to say in Portuguese.  1992: mil novecentos noventa e dois.  I may be spelling it wrong, but I know I'm close.  That's about the extent of what I remember of Portuguese, especially because Spanish is so much more common here, and now I get the 2 confused.  
Being 11-12 years old in a foreign country is tough on a shy girl with no social skills, so I have this weird mental block about so much of the year we spent there.  It's amazing the things my toddler sister retained, and I think my parents still speak the language fairly well!  Impressive.  I think the only thing that wasn't repressed in my mind was the food.  Oh my...the food.  My entire family looks back with fondness so recently I invited my parents over for a Brazilian feast.  I did my best to replicate some of my most memorable Brazilian dishes.  I think most were wildly successful with the exception of 1.  
Sadly. this entire day was filled with so much work that picture-taking was almost out of the question.  Besides, when you've slaved in the kitchen for 10 hours and you're serving a 5-course meal, you worry more about the timing of the food being ready than stopping everything to snap a photo while trying to find good lighting.  So I only have photos of 2 recipes, although I'll share them all with you today.

Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes with Lemon Glaze

photo by Katie Kay

Goodbye, summer!  September is almost over and we're officially into fall, which means skinny jeans, knee-boots, and cute sweaters with trendy scarves, right?  Not so much.  We've had a couple of random 75 degree days, but for the most part it's still warm and sticky.  The mosquitoes are in paradise.

So these summery Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes still seem perfectly weather-appropriate, and they are perfect for a pool party, BBQ, or any outdoor, backyard soiree.  This idea of putting a glaze on the cupcake before frosting them came from a website I love (credit below) and I've started using this with fabulous success.

"Better Than Sex" Chex Mix

Photo by Katie Kay

Better than sex?  Someone's getting a little carried away if you ask me.  But hey, I didn't invent the name.  I just copied it!  And if it grabbed your attention and made you even a little bit Herbal Essences curious about this snack, then it worked!

Peanut Butter-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

Photo by Katie Kay

My favorite desserts are made of peanut butter and chocolate.  Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies, Chocolate Peanut Butter Layer Cake, and Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Trifle are only a few of my favorite classics.  Another way I like to add a few calories to my ice cream is to scoop chocolate ice cream into a bowl, then microwave a tablespoon or 2 of creamy peanut butter, then drizzle the melted peanut butter over my cold ice cream.  YUMMAAY!  This is a flavor combination that kills every time!  Of course I feel like Chris Farley in Tommy Boy (I can hear myself getting fatter) but it's totally worth the calories.

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Buttercream

Photo by Katie Kay

I've been craving Lemon Blueberry for a month.  There's something about it that screams BRING IT ON, SPRING!  We've had an unseasonably long winter and I'm more than ready for toasty heat, short shorts, and flip flops.  What better way to prepare my body for those short shorts than to whip up 30 cupcakes 2 weeks in a row?  Exactly.

Shrimp & Crab Tomato Basil Soup

Photo by Katie Kay

Every time I go to HEB I stop by the free sample booths.  My favorite one is the Cooking Connection island where the guy with the microphone makes it fresh and serves you a little plastic Jello shot cup full of wine while you stand there with your mini plate and mini fork.  
And I'm not just a free-loader.  They love me there!  I see the same guy every time, and I always chat him up.  If I don't love the sample enough to purchase the ingredients, I'll make sure I mention a great recipe he made last week and tell him how awesome it was.  Then he feels happy and filled with purpose, I get free food, and we all walk away satisfied.

Ropa Vieja (or spicy, saucy beef!)

Photo by Katie Kay

The first time I ever had Ropa Veija was at Mission Burrito.  I had no idea what it was, but the lady behind the counter told me it was "spicy beef with more flavor" and I never looked back.  In fact, when Mission Burrito by my office started running out every time I tried to get some, I stopped going! Then they closed down that location.  Hmm.
Then Matt came home one day with a recipe some guy made at a party he went to and said, "you have to try this, it's called Ropa Vieja!"  Um, you mean this wasn't just a made-up name Mission Burrito gave their saucy beef?  It's actually a thing people know about?

Dark Chocolate "Black Tar Heroine" Espresso Cookies

Photo by Katie Kay

Remember when I said I wasn't going to bake any more chocolate and peanut butter, and I was going to start baking for Spring?  Well--call me Miley Cyrus, but I can't stop.  I won't stop.  Around here, we love chocolate like David Hasslehoff loves a good cheeseburger.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Photo by Katie Kay

Am I slightly disappointed that I've baked my way through a 3lb bag of miniature Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and now I don't have a valid reason to bake, eat and share more peanut buttery chocolateness?

Peanut Butter Cup Blondies

Photo by Katie Kay

The path that led me to these Blondies was a beautiful, complicated, calorie-laden adventure that began and ended with a giant 2 1/2 pound bag of Miniature Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and had a whole lot of awesomeness in-between.