Saturday, December 19, 2020

Portuguese Cavacas (Pastry) Recipe


Ingredients

2 cups of flour1 cup of oil8 eggs at room temp1⁄2 cup milkSugar Glaze:2 cups of confectioner’s sugarZest of one lemon6 tablespoons of milk                                                                                                         

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C or 350°F.
  2. Grease regular size muffin tins or popover tins.
  3. Using an electric mixer or stand mixer (on level 6) beat all ingredients for at least 20 minutes without stopping.  Fill the muffin or popover tins no more than half way.
  4. Place on the middle rack. For moist Cavacas, bake for about 45 minutes; for dry Cavacas bake for 1 hour.
  5. Combine all of the glaze ingredients and stir until smooth. 
  6. While the Cavacas are still warm, spoon the glaze over each one or just submerge each one in the glaze.
  7. Serve on the same day since they will dry even more for the following day.
Recipe & Photo Credit: Thao, ingoodflavor.com *
Adapted from Maria Lawton, author of Azorean Cooking

THE SEASONS OF LIFE




 There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn to not judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.

The second son said no – it was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed, he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.

The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfilment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but one season in the tree’s life.

He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are – and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life – can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it’s winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfilment of your fall.

Don’t judge a life by one difficult season. Don’t let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.

https://livelifehappy.com/

THE MORE YOU CAN DREAM, THE MORE YOU CAN DO.


Allow whatever arises in the present moment to be as is.


Neither failure nor success has the the power to change your inner state of being.


Sometimes letting things go is an act of far greater power than defending or hanging on.


Being must be felt.
It can't be thought.


The peace that comes with surrendered action turns to a sense of aliveness when you actually enjoy what you doing.


Speak what you wish to become.
Live as if it's already happened.


The muddiest water clears as it is stilled. And out of that stillness, life arises.


Become totally empty.
Let your heart be at peace.


When you make the present moment, instead of past and future, the focal point of your life, your ability to enjoy what you do and with it the quality of your life increase dramatically.


Go beyond the ideas of succeeding and failing - these are the judgment's.
Stay in the process and allow the Universe to handle the details.


As you awaken to your Divine nature, you will begin to appreciate beauty in everything you see, touch and experience.


 

VISIT MY OTHER BLOG FOR MORE INTERESTING AND BEAUTIFUL IDEAS, TIPS AND INSPIRATIONAL STORIES. https://ceciliaallthingsbeautiful.blogspot.com/


 

PUT FAITH IN GOD AND CONFIDENCE IN YOURSELF


our current position isn’t as important as the direction you are headed in. Don’t look at where you’ve been. Look at where you’re going to. – Jerry Corsten


Some endings create space for new beginnings. Release and receive. – Dr. Thema



It’s important to accept your own sense of self-worth. When you understand what a gift it is to be alive, you will know that you are worthy. – Iyanla Vanzant


How we interpret a situation decides how we experience it. Create new experiences by thinking differently about what you encounter. – Jerry Corsten


That supernatural fatigue you’re carrying around with you right now is the dead weight of the past you insist on dragging into the future. – Emma Magenta



Remember: you can ALWAYS choose to make your future bigger than your past. – Tom Bilyeu


Don’t be afraid to lose people. Be afraid of losing yourself by trying to please everyone around you.


Portuguese Bread Pudding Recipe

 



Ingredients

4 eggs1 cup of sugar4 cups of whole milk1 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract1/2 tsp of cinnamon1/4 tsp of nutmeg1/2 cup of raisins3 tbsp of butter, softened8 ounces of sliced Portuguese bread or a crusty french baguette3 tbsp of butter, meltedVanilla ice cream                                                                                                                          

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Whisk in the milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir in the raisins.
  2. Generously butter the bread with the softened butter. Submerge the bread in the egg mixture and set aside for a least 20 minutes. Use your hands or a large spoon to break the soaked bread into smaller chunks.
  3. Preheat the oven to 180°C 350°F and generously butter a 9x11 inch baking dish.
  4. Transfer the bread mixture to the baking dish and drizzle with the melted butter.
  5. Bake in the preheated oven until the top of the pudding puffs and browns and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. 50 minutes to 1 hour.
  6. Serve warm or at room temperature topped with vanilla ice cream.                                Recipe Credit: Jerry Carreiro, Tip for Tops'n Restaurant *
    Photo Credit: huffingtonpost.com                                                                                      https://portugueserecipes.ca/
 


Knowingness

 

"Part of our spiritual skill set is having the intuitive dexterity to read people. We must be aware of how people shield their true selves to harm us in order to elevate themselves and how they project distorted impressions of us. 

When we know our true purpose, we work alongside God. We can't be afraid of what others think of us; it's not about us. It's about mediating the conflict that arises when we feel that our purpose is compromised. God can't be forced down the throat, godliness has to live in the heart. We are all searching for personal truth that may not be found in tradition or religion, but the stark nakedness of knowingness.

You have to belong to yourself, no matter what you do? If you don't have a sense of belonging; a sense of being in the right place at the right time, then you are spinning your wheels.

Rituals are hard to break especially if one is entrenched in them, but they can certainly be a starting pistol to get you to your own finish line."


~Alexys Fairfield




THE SERENITY PRAYER

GOD GRANT ME THE SERENITY
TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE;
COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN;
AND WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE.

LIVING ONE DAY AT A TIME;
ENJOYING ONE MOMENT AT A TIME;
ACCEPTING HARDSHIPS AS THE PATHWAY TO PEACE;
TAKING, AS HE DID, THIS SINFUL WORLD
AS IT IS, NOT AS I WOULD HAVE IT;
TRUSTING THAT HE WILL MAKE ALL THINGS RIGHT
IF I SURRENDER TO HIS WILL;
THAT I MAY BE REASONABLY HAPPY IN THIS LIFE
AND SUPREMELY HAPPY WITH HIM
FOREVER IN THE NEXT.
AMEN.

--REINHOLD NIEBUHR