Ideas for Easter

HISTÓRIAS...

Flores nascem junto a estes degraus de pedra rija, que tantos e tantos pés calcaram...
Pedra sobre pedra, pelas mãos de homens valentes se faziam casas como esta.
Em cima ficavam as famílias, em baixo os animais, que aqueciam as casas durante o inverno...
As portas, em madeira das nossas matas, duravam uma vida, ou mais, e ali ficaram encurralando crónicas d´outrora.
Casas lindas estas de xisto, que compõem a história do nosso Portugal, muitas feitas de lágrimas, outras de amor ou, outras ainda, de companheirismo, que antigamente era tão simples como a água que corre nos rios.
Histórias... quem as não tem!?

ROMEU

Uma pequena mas lindissima aldeia transmontana, do Concelho de Mirandela, que conta com pouco mais de cinquenta habitantes.
Nesta Aldeia, que é abençoada por alguns dos melhores azeites do mundo, encontra-se um afamado restaurante típico, o Maria Rita, que torna qualquer refeição num momento inesquecível.
Logo ao lado do restaurante encontra-se o Museu das Curiosidades, com uma vasta colecção de... TUDO! O Museu das Curiosidades é um espaço simples, onde o visitante encontra numerosos testemunhos da evolução da forma de vida rural, que vão desde automóveis e alfaias agrícolas, até bicicletas e material portátil ligado ao cinema.

Esta maravilhosa aldeia tem as suas casas muito bem conservadas porque beneficiaram de importantes obras na época do Estado Novo.

O nome da aldeia deve-se a que na época medieval existia uma dependência da Ordem do Hospital de São João de Jerusalém, mais tarde conhecida como Ordem de Malta. O aspecto actual da aldeia ficou a dever-se à acção de Clemente Meneres, empresário agrícola e industrial que ali se instalou em finais do século XIX e se dedicou à produção de azeite com um sistema revolucionário para aquela época. Os resultados estão "à vista", com o azeite de Romeu a atingir patamares de qualidade elogiados um pouco por todo o mundo.

For more tips and Advice, visit my other Blog  http://ceciliaallthingsbeautiful.blogspot.co.uk

Lazy Day Brunch Bread

You know those days when you wake up after breakfast but not yet lunch and really don’t feel like making anything too time consuming? Well this lazy day brunch bread is a super quick fix with the yum factor:)

Cut a loaf of bread in squares without cutting until the bottom of the bread.

In between the gaps, add cheese and any fresh herbs to your liking and place in the oven just to melt at medium heat until slightly browned.

You can also use garlic paste, diced tomatoes, mushrooms, ham…just about anything you like! 

Homemade Cooking Spray

 

 

Avoid the nasty propellants in commercial cooking sprays by making a homemade version!

Ingredients

• 1 part olive oil (or your choice of oil)
• 4-5 parts boiled distilled/filtered water (start with 3, and work your way up)
• 1 misting spray bottle

Instructions

1. Sterilize your spray bottle in boiling water.
2. Place oil and water into spray bottle.
3. Shake well before use.
4. Store in the fridge for no longer than a week or so.

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Do you use cooking spray in your kitchen? Try this homemade version and let me know what you think!

Some more notes: (This post is the #2 most popular link on this site, and in the process, I’ve read numerous comments with tips, suggestions, and concerns. So below are some of the most common points to consider):

• As with all homemade alternatives, this will not work as well as the commercial products, so don’t expect it to. You may need to experiment to get it to work properly for you. If all else fails, some good ol’ straight oil or butter in a pan always works!
• I use this more for baking than I do for cooking on the stove. I make mostly cookies, muffins, and quick breads, and find that if I spray a good amount on the pans, it mostly works pretty well. I may have to help my muffins out of the tin a bit, and sometimes there are tiny muffin crumbs left in the tin, but I don’t really mind it. Again, if I’m really concerned with sticking issues (like in cake pans, for example), I just brush on some melted butter or straight oil.
• DO NOT spray this onto a HOT pan! The water will make it to splatter everywhere, and may cause burns! Instead, spray it onto a cold pan, and let it heat up gradually; in the process, the water will evaporate, leaving the oil to do its thing.
• The bottle in the pictures is NOT food-grade plastic, so I would recommend sourcing either a food-grade plastic spray bottle, or a glass spray bottle with a fine mist. Here’s a good site someone shared: http://www.bottles.us/
• Yes, oil and water do not mix, but giving the bottle a quick shake/swirl will allow them to combine just enough to be sprayed out of the bottle at the same time. The water is only used as a vehicle to propel the oil out of the bottle.
• I’ve read very mixed reviews on products such as the Misto or Pampered Chef sprayer; some love it, and some hate it. So you may want to try that out if you’re having trouble getting this homemade version to work for you.

Recipe: Sweetheart Cherry Pies

Ingredients

• pie dough
• fresh cherries, chopped
• ricotta cheese
• sprinkle of sugar
• 1 TBSP butter, melted

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Roll out your pie dough (I like to do this between 2 sheets of plastic wrap). Cut out shapes with cookie cutter.
3. Sprinkle and stir the sugar with the chopped cherries in a bowl.
4. Lay out your heart cut outs on the baking sheet. Spoon on some fresh ricotta cheese, then spoon on the cherries. Lay down the top dough, seal to press with a fork.
5. Brush the top with melted butter.
6. Bake for about 15 minutes or until mini hearts are golden brown. The baking time will largely depend on the thickness of your pastry dough and your oven. Just keep close watch.
7. Cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes