Rice pudding (arroz doce) Portuguese style

This is one of my husband's favorite dessert!

Ingredients:
1 cup of white rice
1 cup of sugar
4 egg yolks
2 cups of milk (2%)
2 cinnamon sticks
lemon peel
2 tbsp of butter
cinnamon

Directions:
 Cook the rice with water, then drain it. On a separate pot pour the milk, butter, lemon peel and cinnamon sticks and let it boil, then add the cooked rice and let it cook for about 2 minutes and add the sugar, cook for 2 more minutes and turn it off. On a separate bowl beat the egg yolks and then add a little bit of the rice mix ( so the egg yolks are at the same temperature as the rice)  then add the egg yolks to the rice. Mix everything and pour on a platter and sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve it chilled!
I used 2% milk but it is good with skim milk, no difference in taste.

Broccoli salad

This is one of my daughter's favorite!

 

 Ingredients:

2 bunches of raw broccoli

1/2 cup of sunflower seeds

5 tbsp of sugar

1 1/2 cups of red wine vinegar

1 1/2 cups of mayonnaise 

3 ozs of bacon bits

1/2 pint of grape tomatoes cut in halves

Directions:

Wash the broccoli and cut in small pieces, put in a bowl. In another bowl mix the vinegar, mayonnaise and sugar, then add to the broccoli and mix,  then add the rest of the ingredients, mix well and serve cold.

Easy pot roast

Ingredients:
3.5 to 4 lbs of chuck roast
2 onions
5 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp of tomato paste
2 tablespoons of onion flakes
garlic powder
2 bay leaves
olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup of red wine
2 cups of beef broth
fresh parsley
salt
pepper

Directions:
in a frying pan with olive oil brown the meat on all sides, then add the sliced onion and the chopped garlic let cook for about 3 minutes. In a dutch oven pan put some olive oil, add the meat with the onions and the garlic and add the rest of the ingredients. Put in the oven at 400 for about 2.5 hours, covered and check every hour. Once cooked, take from the oven and let it rest for about 15 minutes, then slice the meat. This is a very easy recipe, but very delicious

Sangria

This is an amazing recipe my friend Liz gave me. Perfect for the holidays!

Ingredients:
2 cups Red wine
2 cups 7-Up (or Sprite)
2 shots of Peach Schnapps
2 shots of Banana Schnapps
2 shots of Triple Sec
1 orange (peeled)
1 apple
12 strawberries
peaches
grapes
pineapple

Directions:
Wash the fruit and chop everything into little pieces. Mix the fruit with all the liquids and refrigerate. Let it sit for a few hours so that the fruit has time to absorb the alcohol! Serve chilled and enjoy.
You can use different fruits, in this one I used canned peaches.

Vegetable and meat soup

This soup can be a full meal with a nice piece of bread. This one was made on top of my wood stove!


Ingredients:
5 potatoes cut in cubes
4 carrots cut in cubes
1 onion chopped
5 cloves of garlic
2 tomatoes
olive oil
salt
4 beef ribs
1 can of beans (red or white)
1 bunch of kale (or broccoli rabe or escarole)

Directions
In a pot saute' potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic and tomatoes with the olive oil for about 5 minutes.
Then add the meat and saute 5 more minutes, add enough water to cover everything and add salt. Cover the pot and let it cook on low until the meat is falling from the bone, add more water if necessary. Take out the meat and pure the vegetables in the water. Shred the meat and add to the pot.  Chop the greens in big chunks and add to the soup, add the beans and let it cook until the greens are soft. Check for salt.
In this one I used kale and red beans, you can add cooked pasta to the bowl when you are serving. Enjoy!

Chocolate mousse

This recipe is from my childhood, is one of my family's favorite!

Ingredients:
8 oz. Semi-sweet chocolate
8 egg whites
4 egg yolks
6 tablespoons of sugar
1 tablespoon of butter

Directions
Beat the egg whites, set aside. Using a double boiler melt the chocolate until fully melted. Turn off the heat. Next add sugar and egg yolks, mix everything well. Then add the butter. Then slowly add the egg whites and mix well. Put in individual glasses or a bowl and refrigerate. Serve chilled.

Shrimp with cocktail sauce

This is a very easy recipe to make for any occasion, my younger son always makes the sauce.

Ingredients:
1 lb of deveined peeled raw shrimp
salt
1 cup of ketchup
1 tablespoon of horse radish
1 tablespoon of worcestershire sauce
lemon wedges

Directions
Boil water with lots of salt, cook shrimp for about 3 minutes, then let it cool down.
In a bowl mix ketchup, horse radish and worcestershire sauce to make the cocktail sauce.
On a tall glass arrange the shrimp with wedges of lemon and put some sauce in the center, make as many as you can or you can make on a platter.