First Day Of School,I Need Stew.

Today was the first day of school; hectic to say the least. My best friend, Mary, pulled up in her cherry red, beat up, convertible, not as good as the 73' Maverick she bought but now isn't functioning. That Maverick is straight up gorgeous, Mary and I have a thing for old cars. As i was saying she picked me up and as we approached the stoplight just on the outskirts of our neighborhood, I realized i had forgotten my book The Kite Runner, in my room. I freaked out and Mary turned around ASAP. I made a picture of me freaking out, on paint.

And yes, my jacket is that colorful.

I was so panicky because I had two books [one being the Kite Runner] due along with essays for the first day of my AP English course. Now i had both of my books, but somehow i winded up not having my papers with me. I was fucking pissed to say the least. Thankfully, my teacher was understanding and allowed me, well my dad, to email her the essays as soon as i could without taking off. Dodged a bullet there, I'm always forgetting things, and it sucks because even though i procrastinate, i always end up getting my work done, so if I forget to bring something I flip out.
Not to mention i lost my schedule after only my 2ND class causing me to embarrassingly ask someone in guidance to print me off a new one. However I think I'll like my classes, especially chemistry, I'm a major science geek.

The time has come, for the subject of food! HUZZAH! Now I did some research on Brazilian cuisine because it's the country from which Ive chosen to cook from today. Awesomesauce? I think so.

Brazil is the largest country in South America, and probably the 4Th largest in the world. Around 1/4 of the known plants can be found in Brazil, not to mention the Amazon River runs through it and has the largest rainforests in the world.

In the 1500's the Portuguese landed in Brazil, bringing with them their various cooking techniques and food preferences. They brought sugar, citrus fruits, and recipes for some sweet treats, European influence is what developed Brazil's undeniable "sweet tooth." However, a long time before the Europeans even thought about the new world, Indian groups lived and Brazil and grew manioc, which is a root similar to the potato. Manioc is now one of the staples of Brazilian cuisine, along with: rice, garlic, parsley, beans, pork, and beef. The national dish is actually a meat stew called Feijoada, me being me, I decided to prepare it. [I wanted to make Ambrosia which is a sweet custard like desert, but i didn't have enough eggs.]

This stew is flavorful and hearty, packed with the bold smoky flavors of the meats blended with the sweetness of the tomatoes. Furthermore, the beans gave it a most pleasing texture. Traditionally this dish is served with white rice, manioc, orange salad, and kale, but i just had it with a nice piece of crusty bread.

Feijoada:
-3 strips raw bacon, cut into fourths, width wise
-2 yellow onions, chopped
-3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
-1 lb smoked sausage
-1 lb boneless beef, any cut. Flank steak, or stew beef are good choices
-14 oz. can of stewed tomatoes
-1 tbs. Dijon Mustard
-1 c. hot water
-4 c. canned black beans, drained and rinsed
-1 tsp salt
-1 tsp pepper

In a large pot fry the bacon at medium-high heat. Once fried, reduce to medium. Add in the chopped onions and minced garlic and cook for 2-3 mins so they are soft. Slice the sausage and beef into 1" pieces, then add them to the pot. Brown the meat on all sides, then stir in the tomatoes, mustard, hot water, and the salt & pepper .Cover and reduce heat to a simmer; simmer for 45mins. Be sure to stir it often, around every 10 mins or so. If it starts to get to thick or dry, add in an extra 1/4 cup of hot water. Now pour in the beans, cover once more and cook for a final 10mins or until the beans are to your liking.

Sorry there are none of my pics, my cameras on the fritz. Lamesauce, but here is a picture of it [courtesy of http://travelingbastards.blogspot.com]

I'm a sucker for soups and stews, and for bacon and sausage, so to me this dish was a winner. It made my insides smile, and yes I'm the kind of weirdo who enjoys stew when its still burning hot outside...my house is cold okay.

Goodnight good fellows.

"Beauty Will Buy No Beef"

After my sister left to take all her crap back to her apartment, I went to work in my backyard. Scrubbing the deck, pulling weeds, raking, etc. I was out there for around two hours so i worked up quite the appetite. I was Ready to start cooking some Argentinean food. However, I lack the proper ingredients so i waited for Mama to get home to let me drive to the store. The two of us took it upon ourselves to holler out the windows when we drove under the overpass. As always, it was fun.

A fairly large country on the southern part of South America lies with the Andes mountains on its western border. It's Argentina, the country of the day!! WOOT!

Now in Argentina, beef is ranked highest of all foods, Argentinians also eat more fruit than any other country in the world. So wouldn't it make sense for them to combine the two? Oh it does, its yummy, and its flavorful. Not to mention the addition of potatoes and sweet potatoes with it. Perfect.

BTW potatoes come from the Andes mountains, they didn't originate in Ireland.

Many immigrants came from Spain and Italy, but others came from Britain, Germany, and there were some Jewish immigrants too. The Italians introduced pizza, and various pasta dishes to the country, while the British brought over tea and established tea time in Argentina.

Carbonada Criolla:
- 3 tbs. olive oil
- 1 1/2 lb. flank steak
-4 large tomatoes, thickly chopped
-1 green bell pepper, roughly chopped
-1 large onion
-2 bay leaves
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-1 tsp. oregano
-2 c. chicken stock
-2 potaoes, cut into 1" cubes
-2 sweet potatoes, cut into 1" cubes
-2 ears of corn, cut into 1" thick circles [or 2 cups frozen corn]
-2 zuchinni, diced into 1/2" pieces
-2 peaches, diced into 1/2" pieces
-2 pears in 1/2" pieces

Heat the oil in a heavy pot on medium-high. Sear the steak a 2 mins on each side mins per side. Remove from pot cut into desired size, most likely 1" cubes and set aside. Now in the same pot, add in the tomatoes, garlic, onion, and pepper until softened. Throw in the oregano and bay leaves. Pour in the chicken stock; bring to a boil. Return the Beef to the pot, add potatoes and sweet potatoes, Cover and simmer for 15 mins. Stir in the corn and zucchini. simmer for 10 mins or until the veggies are just soft. Throw in the cubed fruit and cook for a final 5 mins. Serve piping hot to your family, friends, or both.



This was a truly interesting dish, one bite you have savory beef with tomatoes, then the next bite you get a sweet cube of fruit with corn, or sweet potato and zucchini, and if you can manage to get all the parts of the dish at the same time its a melody of flavors that make your taste buds smile. Aside from that, it's a very colorful dish and looks beautiful when you stare at it face to flavor. You can also tell the Italian influence with the use of oregano, garlic, and bay leaves, and i like that about this dish. You're not to sure what to expect.

Other popular dishes include the, empanda which means little meat pie, which is served with hot chimicurri sauce. There is also something that is similar to chicken fried steak called, milanesa, which is beef that is dipped in eggs, crumbs, and then fried. Also I like Argentina because it's South America's largest honey producer, and I love me some honey.

Goodnight, sleep well, feast on.

[English Proverb For Title]