Brazilian Rice and Beans

Our cooking class needed a vegetarian lunch dish to power up before devouring our chocolate salami. When I consulted my friend Roberta, she suggested rice and beans, a staple of the Brazilian diets.

How fortunate! It is also a staple of our diet and a favorite of the Yummies. Is there anyone who doesn't love rice and beans or eat them in some form? What is the Brazilian version?

Well, now, I am pretty sure that I will be immediately called out by the Brazilians on this one. This dish might be more appropriately called "Brazilian Rice and Beans via New York" since we took out the the bacon that is supposed to be included and added the carrots to the beans. Come to think of it, the beans are pretty much whatever we decided they needed to be with the only known Brazilian influence being the bay leaf. I was all set to add sage since Roberta swore that is what all Brazilians add. I chopped it up and left it there on the cutting board to add at the end.

By the time I got back to the board, the sage had been tossed out by Roberta's mom. It was lost in translation, apparently, since Sonia said she had never even heard of adding sage to her beans. So, we'll leave that call up to you.

Whatever you decide, these are hearty and the perfect warm up dish before delving into serious holidays sweets.

Brazilian Rice and Beans (with a TYM twist)

For the Rice:

*2/3 finely diced onion

*pinch of salt

*2 T. olive oil

*1 c. rice

*2 c. water

Big Person: Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. Throw in the onions. Saute till the onions turn golden, 10-12 minutes.

Add the rice and cook, stirring, till the rice absorbs the oil and becomes translucent. Add the water and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the rice is soft but not mushy.

For the Beans:

*6 c. black beans (or pintos), cooked or canned

*2 teaspoons cumin

*salt, to taste

*a bay leave

*2 T. olive oil or butter

*1 1/2 c. grated carrots

*1 small onion, chopped

*2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

Together: In a large bowl, stir together the black beans, the carrots, the cumin, and the salt (start with one teaspoon of salt and add more to taste at the end). Add the bay leaf (whole).

Big Person: Warm the oil or butter over medium-low heat. Add the onion and saute till translucent. Add the garlic and, stirring, saute a minute longer. Pour in the bean mixture and cook down until most of the water evaporates. Discard the bay leaf. Season to taste.

Serve a scoop of beans over a bed of rice and enjoy.

December Evenings

With the new ice skating rink just having opened up in Battery Park City, we have developed a little evening addiction.

Santa, if you are reading this and we haven't been too naughty, we're dreaming of matching silver ice skates with pink pom-poms please. Pretty please?

How are you spending your evenings this season? Take a look at what others are doing around the world:

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad,

caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t., jeannette, outi, ritva, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, skymring, elizabeth, allison, lise, cate, crescent moon, erin, otli, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, vanessa, britta, april, b, kyndale samantha, kristina, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, mcgillicutty, aimee, sunnymama, jenell, britta, juanita, pamela, inna, daan, myrtille, cris, ibb, jodi, gillian, travelingmama

athena, pienduzz, latisha, clairette, kelleyn, iris, demara, mus, ninja, guusje, di, sammi, theresa, cherry b, victoria, kathryn , lisa, liza, juliette, braja, mulot, anne, lucy, leonor, elizabeth, helene, dominique, shokoofeh, cole, jenna, podane, grey-lemon, line, nihal, urbaNiche, inner toddler, puna, lucylaine, adrienne, emily, lynn, skywriting, eliane, the wanderer´s daughter, carole, anna, dorit, kenza, sherry, conny, susan, l´atelier, elis

A Little Elfing: Fabric Jewelry

Shhhh! It's a surprise....

Chocolate Salami

A special visitor came to our cooking class this week. My Brazilian friend Roberta's mama was in town and offered to swing by and teach the children to make a Christmas treat. Sonia has a catering business of her own back in Sao Paulo, teaches within a program that helps low income teenagers become skilled workers within the hospitality industry, and is the mother of nine and the grandmother of nine.

She was greeted with open arms, especially after she explained to the children that they would be making something... chocolate.

This dish is very simple to make (and to eat for that matter), but it does include the use of raw eggs. If you have ANY qualms at all about that, then please just use an egg substitute instead.

Do you see the chocolate smiles we had? It was a wonderful day.

Chocolate Salami

*2 c. cocoa powder

*1 c. confectioner's sugar

*3 sticks of butter (1 1/2 c)

*5-6 farm fresh eggs from free-range chickens (or substitute about 1/2 c egg substitute)

*1/2 c. pecans

*1 1/2 c. amaretti (Italian cookies) or crunchy butter cookies if you cannot find the amaretti

Crumble the amaretti into pieces about the size of chocolate chips (see photo). Crumble the pecans in the same way and mix them all together in one big bowl.

Separate the eggs. Show your Yummy how to crack the egg and then tip the yolk back and forth between the two halves. Make sure there are three medium sized bowls ready. One will catch all of the egg white, and the other will catch all of yolks. The third bowl will be at the ready for all the egg shells***.

In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter till light and fluffy. Turn the speed down to low and add the confectioner's sugar first and then the cocoa powder. Add the egg yolks (save the whites for another use) one by one and beat well. Turn off the mixer, and pour in the amaretti and pecan mixture. Using a wooden spoon and a little elbow grease, fold the cookies and nuts into the chocolate mixture.

On a long slab of wax paper, place about half of the chocolate mixture in a line (not a blob). Roll the wax paper around it tightly so that there is no chance of the chocolate mixture leaking out or getting on little hands. Begin rolling the enclosed chocolate back and forth, sculpting it into a snack shape, about an inch and a half in diameter. Twist either end of the wax paper to seal it, and place the salami in the freezer. Repeat with the other half.

Freeze for at least an hour.

To serve, use a serrated knife to cut the salami into little slabs. Bon appetit!

***You will most likely have to do a lot of helping with this process. For two or three-year-olds, you must do it all with them. Four and five year olds might begin to be able to do it a bit if you crack the eggs for them.

Home

A few corners of TYM headquarters.

Sneak peeks of corners all over:

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad,

caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t., jeannette, outi, ritva, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, skymring, elizabeth, allison, lise, cate, crescent moon, erin, otli, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, vanessa, britta, april, b, kyndale samantha, kristina, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, mcgillicutty, aimee, sunnymama, jenell, britta, juanita, pamela, inna, daan, myrtille, cris, ibb, jodi, gillian, travelingmama

athena, pienduzz, latisha, clairette, kelleyn, iris, demara, mus, ninja, guusje, di, sammi, theresa, cherry b, victoria, kathryn , lisa, liza, juliette, braja, mulot, anne, lucy, leonor, elizabeth, helene, dominique, shokoofeh, cole, jenna, podane, grey-lemon, line, nihal, urbaNiche, inner toddler, puna, lucylaine, adrienne, emily, lynn, skywriting, eliane, the wanderer´s daughter, carole, anna, dorit, kenza, sherry, conny, susan, l´atelier

Chicken Tagine in a Clay Baker

Happy December, Yummies! Don't you just crave stews and soups in this weather? Dank days, chilly nights, biting wind, they all seem to call out for something warm and comforting. Something nutritious but super flavorful.

In cooking class a couple of weeks ago, we made a tagine so delicious that, excluding one, the entire class of Yummies devoured it. That is a world Yummy record, I think. There really is something for everyone in this dish: carrots, chickpeas, pumpkin or squash, and the chicken.

This recipe also has the advantage of being highly adaptable. For years I have made a vegetarian version of this dish, adding sweet potatoes to the mix and playing up the spices a bit to balance out the flavor. And, if you do not own a clay baker like this one, you can substitute an oven-proof pot with a lid. Just make sure that you also adjust the temperature (375 degrees F should be about right) and the cooking time. The clay does make the flavor of the tagine both richer and more authentic, but it will still taste amazing made in any sort of pot that will hold it all and fit in the oven.

Chicken Tagine in a Clay Baker

*a whole chicken (4-6 lbs)

*2 lbs. butternut squash or pumpkin, peeled, seeds scooped out, and cut into 1-inch chunks

*2 medium carrots, scrubbed and sliced coarsely

*2 cups cooked chickpeas

*1 T. cumin

*2 cinnamon sticks

*1 t. ground ginger

*1/2 t. coriander

*2 bay leaves

*1 c. shallots, chopped

*2 c. onions, chopped

*4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

*3 mini-chef handfuls each of golden raisins, cranberries, and brown raisins

*2 c. chicken or veggie stock

Soak your clay baker in cool clean water for at least 15 minutes.

With your mini-chef, place all of the ingredients into the base of your baker. Make sure that you spread everything out so that each bite will be tasty: a bay leaf over here, a bay leaf over there. A handful of cranberries over in that corner, a handful right beside the chicken leg, etc.

Put the lid on the baker and place the whole thing in a COLD oven. Turn the oven on to 480 degrees F. Bake for about 2 hours, or until a thermometer placed into the chicken breast registers 180 F.

Cool a few minutes outside the oven. Discard the bay leaves and the cinnamon sticks. Serve over rice or cous-cous.

Gratitude

One of the sweetest things about having our first Thanksgiving here in our new home is how much everyone in our family helped to make it happen. My daughter, who was in charge of the dessert we collectively chose (carrot cake), buttered, traced, measured, and frosted. My husband acted as the most fabulous sous chef and official kitchen beautifier, and my two year old son made two different cranberry sauces for our feast. He proudly announced this to us at least twenty times an hour. It gave me a flashback.

Around the time of my first Thanksgiving in New York, having come for university, I had such a hard time just being here. Coming from Georgia, with its warmish weather and lush trees, I felt homesick for a home that no longer existed. My family had up and moved to California three days after I graduated from high school. It felt as though the ground was constantly shifting underneath me. And the ground was hard. It was concrete. It was cold and dirty.

A kind soul gave me a practice at this time to try and find the beauty in everything. Everything. Even, as he said, the dog poop on the sidewalk. At first, trying to find the beauty was impossible. My heart kept rebelling, kicking its little feet and throwing mini-tantrums, but slowly a new sight started to emerge. Over time and thirteen years later, I can see it, the beauty in everything around me. And, as it turns out, the dog poop was easy compared to some other things and people.

Yesterday, as the children and my husband were taking a pre-meal nap, I was left alone to iron the linens and set the table. As I pushed that iron back and forth, I was thinking about my ancestors, both the Native American and the Europeans, contemplating what happened when that blood mixed in them, in my grandparents, in my parents, in me, in my children. The heartbreak of a people leaving their home, of whole people brutally losing their home, and the way that they had to pick up and keep living.

I hope that I am bringing something through for them, healing something that rifted long ago. Coming out on the other side of all that pain and learning to heal what my ancestors passed to me, there has emerged something so precious: gratitude.