say no to thoughtless wastefulness!

Wow, it was hot today! A perfect day to eat something simple...something that did not require much cooking as the last thing I wanted was to heat up the house. A few days ago I decided to make chocolate chip cookies...yeah, cookies - not very Tita-like as I am not big on sweets, but I was experiencing a craving. Luckily I had all the ingredients at home to make them from scratch so I decided to break out the giant Kitchen Aid mixer and whip up some deliciousness. As I looked for all the ingredients I began looking at the rest of the stuff I had in my pantry...bread crumbs...oh, bread crumbs! What can I make with this? Wait, expiration date of 11/21/2010! I swear, sometimes I feel like I have ADD. I forgot about the cookies and began cleaning out my pantry, getting rid of everything that needed to be thrown away.

I hate being wasteful! I grew up with a mother that always reminded her kids of growing up poor in the slums of Guatemala City. "You know, we ate rice and beans every day of the week, we were lucky if we got some meat on Sundays!" Being born in Guatemala City and also living in the slums for the first 6 and a half years of my life, I never doubted her sad story...again, I hate being wasteful! After cleaning out the pantry I decided that my new goal was to use what I have at home, get creative with it before it goes to waste. As I cook more and more I am starting to understand what is essential in my house and what I don't need to stock up on. I actually have been following this rule for a while with my produce and with what I have in the fridge. I plan my meals around what I have; it has been working out great and it shows lovely in our finances. In case you are wondering, the cookies did get done.

I have been wanting to use the portobello mushrooms I had in the fridge; we usually have some as I love them in my salad. They looked too pretty to cut up so I decided to make burgers instead. The only thing I needed to get for this meal was some fresh Semifreddi's buns. Oh...since I did not have time to make some aioli, I mixed some leftover pesto with mayonnaise...yum, yum, yum! The cheese in the pesto eliminated any need to add cheese to the burger. Enjoy!

Portobello Mushroom Burgers

2 Portobello mushroom caps, stems removed

1/4 cup of olive oil

2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons of mayonnaise 

2 tablespoons of pesto (recipe to come)

2 hamburger buns, splited and toasted

1 tomato, sliced

1 avocado, sliced

1/2 cup of baby arugula

Preheat the grill to medium-high.

In a dish large enough to hold the mushrooms, mix olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add mushrooms and make sure both sides are coated well, use a brush if necessary. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Let mushrooms marinate for 5 minutes. Grill mushrooms, soft side down, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until tender. 

In a small bowl combine mayonnaise and pesto. Spread mixture evenly over cut side of buns. Divide arugula evenly over bottom side of buns and add tomato slices. Place mushroom caps over tomatoes, top with avocado and cover with top of buns. 

Makes two burgers. 

clams, summer and remembrance

Saudade is a word in Portuguese that speak about longing and yearning - a deep state of nostalgia for something or someone that is greatly missed.  Eu tenho saudades de Portugal - I miss and think of Portugal quite frequently. It all began with dance - of course! - my hips were not satisfied until I taught myself how to samba dance. This then led to my desire to learn more about the dance and its history...which led to my interest in Brazil...then to learn Portuguese. My opportunity came when I started my undergraduate studies at UC Berkeley. I decided to take Portuguese my first semester with hopes that one day I would travel to the marvelous country of Brazil. Travel I did, but not to Brazil. All summer programs were canceled the summer of 2006 except for the program in Portugal...it never crossed my mind to go but hey, Portugal is the motherland of the language so why not go, heh?

Brilliant of me to have gone, I fell in love with the country! My good luck sailed me there once again while traveling on a cruise around the world in 2007. The bread and pastries...heavenly! Just thinking of pastéis de nata makes my mouth water, oh and what I would give to have the 175-plus-year-old recipe of the saintly Pastéis de Belém. Note to self: find a Portuguese bakery in the Bay Area.

Back to Saudade, the summer has come and with it brings a longing to travel. One of my favorite things to do when I travel is explore the cuisine of the country, appreciate their local ingredients and jot down notes in my journal for my kitchen's sake. This summer, my travel is limited due to the arrival of Baby Gabe, thus I have chosen to do some exploring in the kitchen.

Clams remind me of summer and of Cataplana, which reminds me of Portugal and of traveling. Cataplana is a Portuguese seafood dish that is from the Algarve Coast. The name is derived from the cookware that is used to prepare the dish, made of copper and shaped like two clamshells. Tony could not stop smiling as he ate this dish...Cataplana will now remind me of my sweetheart's smile on a nice summer day...

Clam and Pork Cataplana

Recipe from my favorite Magazine of all time, Dish (NZ), made with a few changes because...I cannot follow a recipe without adding a little bit of this and a little bit of that!

3 lbs or 4 dozen small clams in the shell
3/4 lbs boneless pork loin or fillet, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary
1/2 teaspoons chilly flakes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup white wine or water
1.4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Soak the clams in cold water for 10 minutes then drain.

Heat the olive oil in a cataplana (substitute: wok or deep saute pan). Add the pork and smoked paprika, season and cook for 2 minutes over a high heat until lightly golden and just cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the onion, red pepper, garlic, rosemary, chilli flakes, tomato paste and the bay leaf to the pan and cook until the onion is soft, adding a splash of water if the pan is too r=dry. add the wine and or the water and the clams and turn to coat in the onion mixture. Cover and cook until the clams have opened. Stir in the pork and the parsley, season and tip into a larger bowl. Serve with plenty of grilled bread for mopping up the juices.

Serves 4.

thank you...here is a chair!

When we got pregnant everyone was so happy for us. Herbert and Lindsey were so thrilled as they had just gone through the whole experience themselves; their little bundle of joy was just 2 months old. I am sure they felt happy that little Michayla would soon have a cousin with whom to play with. I know I was happy at the idea that they would grow up together and I could just picture them as two mischievous little monkeys. Lindsey quickly took me under her wing and began telling me of all the things I needed to prepare for, not only during the pregnancy but also after the birth. She began gathering things she no longer needed and would send me home with goodies for the new baby and for myself. It was a little overwhelming at first…what will I do with all this stuff? But as an inexperienced soon-to-be-mother, I had trust that mama Lindsey knew what was best. Oh, my god did we get hooked up. Really! Everything that they gave us was so useful and I cannot believe how much money it saved us. All I have to say is thank you Herbert, Lindsey and little Michayla, you guys are AWESOME!

As a thank you gift I redid a chair that would go perfectly in their new home. It really looks beautiful!

gabe is three months old!

Yay!!! Today Gabe is officially three months old which means he has successfully completed his last trimester (if you read The Happiest Baby on the Block you know what I am talking about). These last three months have been so great and rewarding. We have enjoyed every moment of watching the little man grow. He has gotten so much bigger, must be around 13 pounds and 25+ inches long. Next Friday we have a pediatrician appointment and we will be able to get the actual calculations. He has also become more alert, coos like crazy and he gives us smiles that light up the house! He is so darn cute!

We have been so lucky with him as his temperament is pretty relaxed and calm. The one issue we did have with him these past three months is that he is gassy (as all babies!) but it was pretty bad that it would make him cry at times out of discomfort. It was very worrisome and we tried various different things to help him through his gas episodes. We tested different formulas and we found the one that worked best with him. Herbert also taught me some baby yoga we can do with him to help him release some gas and it does help a lot! Over time it got better; I think it was a mix of these things as well as his stomach maturing. We are pretty happy he is no longer in discomfort.

One of our favorite things to do with the little one is give him baths. Every day he gets a bath before bedtime. It is so much fun because both Tony and I participate in the the affair; we sing songs and play with him. Gabe is so alert during this time...he really LOVES baths!

Overall, these past there months have not been hard at all. On the contrary, they have been very easy and tons of fun! I have to say this is thanks to Tony. He contributes as much as I do and it is great to know we are both in it together. I could not have asked for a better son and I could not have asked for a better husband. We are all a great Avila team!

happy anniversary to us!

Today is our 2nd year anniversary! I am so thankful to be married to this man! He is sooo amazing and every year I fall more and more in love with him. He is my best friend and my everything. I can't describe how happy I am to be with Tony, all I know is that my life is complete with him by my side.

Every year for our anniversary we take an anniversary picture. This year's pictures was obviously very different from last year's as this one included the new addition to our family, little Gabe! Yup, we started as one, we got married and became two and now we are three. Both Tony and I feel very blessed for our new little addition, he has brought us so much happiness (funny since I thought I had reached my max ;).