Azoresgal~Life on an Island

Brigadeiros are a classic party treat, the Brazilian cousin of the truffle. They are fudgy, chewy, chocolatey and wonderful. With only four ingredients, they are super easy to put together and fun to make with the kids. One word of warning, eating them out of the pot by the spoonful is dangerous, and may lead to a belly ache...just sayin'. Brigadeiro 1 can sweetened condensed milk -- (395g) 3 tablespoons chocolate powder (Nesquik) 1 tablespoon butter -- soft 1 package chocolate sprinkles or any other sprinkles you may like tiny paper cups for candy In a heavy saucepan, mix the milk, chocolate powder and butter. Stir to dissolve the chocolate. Put over low heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon. Continue stirring and cooking until you are able to see the bottom of the pot, when you tilt the pan the mixture will just slide quickly. This should take 12- 15 minutes. Transfer to a greased plate. Let cool. Butter your hands and roll the mixture into small bal...

 My heart is heavy today, meetings all day at our children's schools, summer vacation is over. With three kids, you meet three times as many teachers. Our children have been blessed with some wonderful ones in past years. At one of the meetings today, one teacher, went on to explain, how important it is that parents and the child collaborate with the teacher, and follow all rules, as described in the classroom agenda. I couldn´t help but think (and bite my tongue), what about rules for the teacher ? What is the teacher's roll ? As a parent, it is very sad to see a child not thrive,  or do their best, because of a teacher. I have seen it happen, and it is very frustrating when it does. Just like any profession, I believe you must love what you do, if your heart isn´t in it, the results are different. Teachers are so very important, and I know everywhere, they are underpaid and under appreciated. I have family members and friends who are teachers, and I see the spark in their ey...

 One of my favorite pastries to buy at the cafés or bakery, is the palmier!  Slices of heart shaped puff pastry, you can get them plain, or dipped in dark or white chocolate. I go weak in the knees for the ones covered in white chocolate. While on Pinterest the other morning,( don´t judge, a cup of coffee and Pinterest are the perfect start to anyday ) a picture of palmiers popped up. Is it coincidence I just happened to have some puff pastry in the fridge, I think not. These cookies are so light and crisp and so easy to make. Really! There are only 2 ingredients if you buy pre-made puff pastry. The kids and Mr.G just loved them! 1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed 1 c sugar, divided 1. preheat oven to 230c//450 f. 2. on a large pastry mat or counter, if you so choose, sprinkle 1/2 c sugar. 3. lay puff pastry on top of the sugar. 4. next cover puff pastry with an even coating of the remaining sugar. 5. with a rolling pin, roll pastry sheet out, this helps ...

Well September snuck in somehow, very quietly, on it's tiptoes. It's very hard to believe that this time next week, my little's will be back to school. We have had a wonderful summer, lot's of swimming, many long lazy days, and glorious sunny weather. In the last couple of days, there seems to have been a shift somewhere, the weather is much cooler, the mornings are crisp, and the nights have become much shorter. At every corner, we are now reminded that kids are going back to school, the flyers in the mailbox affirm this. So now fall lingers just around the corner, and a sure full sign of this is the harvest. All the corn fields around our home have been cut down, giving way to mountains of covered silage. In the vineyards grapes are being picked to make next years wine. In our own gardens, the grape arbor this year, was amazing, producing endless amounts of white table grapes. We have picked most of them now, atleast the one's the birds didn't get too. Blackbe...

They say all you need is Love...I believe it´s true. You also need someone who will hold your hand. In 17 years, no matter what the battle, what ever the hill, no matter how high the mountain, you have always held my hand, tightly, letting me know it will all be alright   Thank you Mr. G for never letting go of me, of us   Happy Anniversary !

 This recipe is so easy to make and it only consists of 3 ingredients; fresh jalapenos, cream cheese, and bacon. Did I tell you how delicious these are ? The jalapeno peppers are first sliced in half then seeded, stuffed with cream cheese, wrapped with bacon and grilled.  Seriously are you still with me, or did I loose you at "wrapped with bacon"?  These are such a great side dish to any meats you might be grilling, or a fantastic appetizer for a party. You really should wear gloves when slicing and seeding the jalapenos, because they can burn your hands. 20 jalapeno peppers, halved and seeded 1-2 boxes cream cheese, softened 1-2 packages  bacon, cut into halves  Halve and seed the jalapenos. Please wear rubber/latex gloves when doing this to prevent burns. Stuff each half with cream cheese and wrap with a half piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick.  Grill on the BBQ or cook in pre-heated oven at 350/180 until bacon in done. **You ...