Sweet things for Christmas

Christmas is a time for good things, and also the ones to eat. So now I'll post about the desserts and all non savoury things for Christmas that we are used to have.

In my home, rather, in my family since I know myself, we have some things on Christmas that we can't fail making. They are portuguese things like Rabanadas, slices of fried bread, Sonhos and Bolo Vicente (Vincent cake).

About this cake I must tell you that is a tradition developed by my grandmother as she always made it at Christmas time - and only then, only at Christmas time!

So everybody waited for that glorious moment.

When I got married I replaced my grandmother on that task and started baking  the aforementioned cake for several households in various sizes, depending on the number of persons in each house.

My grandmother is in Heaven now and I never stopped baking the Bolo Vicente because everybody likes it so much and to honour her too.

So another thing she always did were the Rabanadas, also called Fatias Douradas (Golden Slices) and the Sonhos and, as with the cake, I replaced her doing for us and for them, my Grandmother and Parents. To the other homes I din't make it but as we all used to get together for Christmas Eve and Day, they  always eat them in my house.

For the Rabanadas we always mix sugar and cinnamon and put on top of them while they are still warm. My uncle likes to eat them with honey. It's very good too.

Never mind the food that appears first in the picture, this is sausage rolls, I mean the other one, it's Arroz Doce, a thing similar to Rice Pudding but much. much better.

A Christmas Log made by my sister. Oh I do like it but mainly the Fios de Ovos, on top of it.

The Bolo Rei, a must in every Christmas in this corner of the world - here half eaten because it's very good.

And we can't forget the Mince Pies

and the Christmas Pudding.

And something that I always make for Christmas but that we begin eating since the first falling leaves: Apple Crumble. 

These pictures I'm posting here are from past Christmases but I will try hard to not forget to take some pictures of the ones I will make this year and post them after Christmas.

.

Partying at 

A Stroll Thru Life  

Slices of Life

My Wee Abode

Bolo Rei

Bolo Rei means King Cake. We eat it at Christmas times in big quantities. No Christmas is Christmas without Bolo Rei. It's like Christmas Cake and Christmas Pudding in England.

It's made with yeast, like bread, and it takes candied fruit and nuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, raisins and that kind of stuff.
Many times, as the tradition says to do, it has a little present inside and a broadbean. That means that the person who gets the slice with the bean inside must buy the cake next time.
Well, that was some time ago. Now, with safety measures, most times the cake hasn't the bean or the present.
Even so, we keep eating it a lot.
When I was a little girl, in our home, it was my grandmother who made ours. It was an adventure to me to see the whole process. The smell, then my grandmother putting a cloth on top of it and leaving to raise, later on tending the dough and putting in the oven...
And then the smell of freshly baked Bolo Rei...
Now we buy it.
That's ok, it's still good anyway.

Cakes

The computer man came yesterday night. I'm not sure if it's ok now, but let's see.
Yesterday I didn't go to work because it's carnival. I don't like it. I used to when I was a child because children always like carnival. My grandmother was very good to us and used to dress us for it. I was a fairy, a spanish, a ladybird... So many things. And it was she who made the clothes. I liked to paint my face as a grown up - strictly on this days of carnival.

Well, but now I an adult and I don't like it now. I have to dress one of my girls friday before carnival so they cane have it also at school. Done for this year.
Now it's only to feel good at home. Yesterday and today.
Tomorow is the go back to work with Fasting opening Lent.

Yesterday I decided it was baking day and made cakes. I forgot to take the pictures but because I couldn't post the ones I took for my little girl's birthday - at 31 January !!! - because the computer was not well, I will now.

I made two to put one on top of the other wit some chocolate spread between them.
The problem was I made one - very well - then I put the other in the oven and went to take my big girls who were in church having classes for taking the Sacrament of Confirmation.
When we came back the cake was a tiny bit overdone and my husband didn't realized it, otherwise he would have put the oven off.
So, in the pictures, you will see that one layer is darker then the other.

Then, on top of it, I put some cream and sugary decoration plus the candles.
It was not so nice looking as the ones I buy to their birthdays but this was made by me.

Baking and Such - Show and Tell Friday

We had a quite a fair amount of baking.
My husband made that turkey pie I told before and also another with minced meat for another day and made sausage rolls, the best ones I ever ate.

And I made Bolo Vicente or Vincent Cake, a must in all Christmas because my grandmother used to make it always.
It's the one in the picture above and the same here too.

I also made rabanadas, or golden slices.

They are made with bread, sliced. We put each slice in milk, take it off, put in egg and fry it.

Then, we mix sugar and cinnamon on both sides while it's still warm. My uncle likes to eat them with honey.

Another must on Christmas time at our house - and since the begining of Autumn - is apple pie. Two big ones I made and it's already almost in the end.
Then it came the end of the year with a batch of new baking.
The amazing this is the more I bake the more I like it.
Let's see what this year bring us on baking inspiration. And I will keep you updated.

For Show and Tell Friday, at Kelli's.

Computerless days and staying at home

My computor is back home. Also one of my girl’s computor. The problem is our internet is still off. She doesn’t mind because the main interest for her – computor speaking – is to play Sims after a long day at school – and after her homework is done.
We also have my oldest girl computor but the internet is general, for all our house so, nothing.
I’m writing elsewhere but I can’t post my new pictures, even if I can now download them to my computor.
But the truth is I can’t wait no longer without posting something. The solution is to go to my Flickr account – way too in need of updating – and post some old ones. Sorry for the recicling.

Anyway.
The weather here is very much to my liking: a bit cold, raining cats and dogs and foggy when is not raining. Maybe you don’t like it but I do. I feel happy and relaxed.
I even liked Monday when the wind was so strong that one roof at my 9 yo girl’s school went out. The television went there to put it in the news and all. The good thing was my girl mot being there when it hapenned. It was just before she went to school. But she thought it was a big fun to have the reporters there.
Something similar happened in the school where my brother is a teacher but there the pupils are older, all them teenagers.

This is a nice time. Everyday, after I go home more death then alive after working all day long, car pooling and shopping and after taking care of dinner and eating it, I seat in my sofa and make my crochet with that lovely burgundy wool. It’s growing slowly because I’m always outside my home, which brings me a lot of frustration.

Let’s hope for better days.
Tomorow, for instance, I will take the day off work because I worked enough hours to take a day off. Oh, hapiness.

I will, after taking some of my girls to school, be back home to do a lot of homemaking.
And even maybe baking.

I think I’ll have my apron on all day long.

Ah! The joy of staying at home.
I can’t wait for tomorow.

Holidays and a birthday

My blog has been quite silent. Everyday I think about updating it but a mother of a large family has always so many things to do, plus working outside full time.

About our holidays, we thought about going to that Island where we usualy go as you can see here. After all, my husband decided that it would not be very convinient for us all to go there this year and, instead of it, we are planning to go to somewhere else. This somewhere else means to stay in the main land. We live in the top south or the bottom center, depends on the opinion. So now we are heading north: first the middle Center and then the North and, God willing, upper North.

All this looks very raw but, as I intent to take a lot of pictures, you will be able to see, by yourselves, how the North is so beautiful, the most beautiful place in this country – apart from Sintra.

Madeira Island is that amazing beauty you know but it’s really Africa, as I can find there the flora of my childhood. If you see the map you can see how is located near Africa, not Europe. The places where we will go now have an European beauty, being the North made of amazing shades of green.

I don’t go there since my teen years. Well, I went there I was already married and having two children but only for two or three days. We stayed in a property where they produce Port Wine. It was very good.

I think I will enjoy so much this trip. I can’t wait.

As I had not any image to post about our future holidays, I leave you with my husband's birthday cake. Well, his birthday was in July, but never mind.

Another cake and another party

Well, another cake.
Yesterday we went with the birthday girl and her friends to that place I told you to play. It's a place where there is people taking care of the children and lots of things to play with. They did quite a lot of playing and then they went to eat sandwiches, etc, including ice cream and cake.
This was the decoration she choose, in advance, to her cake. It was very good and they were all so happy.

Here is she with her long hair and skinny arms

and here the little one.

It was a happy afternoon, thanks be to God.

9 years old

One of my girls is 9 years old now. Her birthday was yesterday. She took a cake to school to eat with her friends and teacher and we had another at my mother's - I think next year I will stop buying her childish cakes but they are so nice...

As you can guess, she is still on that birthday mood and very happy.
Her favorite present was a watch my mother gave her. She felt so grown up.

Tomorow she will have a party at a place we have here where they make children birthday parties. Children can play for two hours and after that, have "tea" that includes sandwiches (several), juice, crisps, birthday cake and ice cream.
This is so popular among children that they are always hopping to be invited for a party there.
So, tomorow will be a happy day.

Another party

My oldest daughter had her birthday on the April 21 but decided that the best day to have a party and invite her friends was the first of May. So we had the party.
It was everything very good, all went well and she and them were very happy. Me too.
Here it is she blowing the candles (again).

Here it is the cake she made.

It was a good day.