Brigadeiro- Traditional Brazilian BonBon

Sorry it's been forever... life happens:) I've been on vacation!

Well, as usual, I was craving chocolate and decided to make these delicious fudgy chocolate bites that I learned to make from my Brazilian cousin. She always made these for her daughter's birthday parties and I was always found near the dessert table shoving these in my mouth one after the other. yummmmm. When I asked her for the recipe, she told me there were embarrassingly easy- and they are!

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon butter
i bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
*additional cocoa powder and/or assorted sprinkles for coating

Directions:
 Mix all ingredients and cook over medium/low heat until melted and thick.

Pour into a glass bowl/pan to cool ( I like to refrigerate to speed things up)
Roll into balls (I use a little scooper) and coat with desired toppings. 

I believe they are traditionally covered in the chocolate sprinkles (jimmies), and my personal favorite is the cocoa powder, but my husband said the one coated in rainbow sprinkles tasted like a birthday cake;)

rolling in cocoa powder

rolled in cocoa powder

rolled in rainbow sprinkles

the traditional chocolate sprinkles

Sister of My Heart

This book is set in India and is told in alternating chapters by two girls, Anju and her cousin Sudha.  Anju is the daughter of an upper-class Calcutta family who has fallen on tough times.  Both Anju's and Sudha's fathers died while on an ill-fated adventure weeks before the girls' births.  Anju and Sudha are inseparable. Their bond is unbreakable. However, when Sudha learns the truth about her family's past, she questions this bond.  As a family illness develops, the young girls are pressured into marrying young.  They both find what they think to be love, but one will sacrifice her love in order to let her cousin have her own happiness.

As the girls grow up and distance is put between them, they realize that they can always count on one another when they are in need.

A good story with several unexpected twists!

Breakfast Casserole Muffins

Who doesn't like breakfast on-the-go? I'm usually in a hurry since I often dilly-dally around in the morning and then realize, "Oh shoot, I have to leave in 5 minutes!" So, breakfast is usually consumed on my way out the door. And I've quickly realized that cereal is not best consumed whilst driving... 'nuff said. So these can be made in advance and then heated up and carried out the door mess-free!

Ingredients:
1/2 lb ground sausage (I used the Bob Evans brand that comes in the tube by the bacon section of the grocery store)
1 tube crescent roll dough
cheddar cheese (original recipe called for 12 slices of Velveeta, but I prefer shredded cheddar- I used about a Tablespoon per muffin)
6 eggs, beaten
1/8 cup milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Line or grease 12 muffin cups.

Brown the sausage until no longer pink, and drain.
Line the bottom of each muffin cup with a portion of the croissant dough and press down. (I tried to make a few into cups by lining both bottom and sides- but you'll need more croissant dough)
Put a spoonful of browned sausage on top of the dough and sprinkle with cheese. 

In a bowl, beat the eggs and milk together. Divide the egg mixture evenly between the 12 cups. Make sure not to fill to the very top.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown on top.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

My friend lent me this book and I'm glad she did! This is the story of an African American woman born in the early 1900s to a poor southern farming family. Henrietta Lacks developed cervical cancer and was treated at Johns Hopkins Hospital, which was segregated at the time.  When doctors took a sample of her tumor and sent it off to the lab, Henrietta hadn't a clue.  This was before informed consent and such.  Henrietta's cells were the first to be successfully cultured in a lab. They multiplied ferociously and ended up being integral in the development of many important drugs, treatments and vaccines that helped millions and millions of people around the world.  Meanwhile, Henrietta dies at 30 leaving behind her husband and young children, none of which know anything about Henrietta's cells and what they've contributed to medical research and development.

While this is nonfiction, it reads very much like fiction.  This is the story of the author's journey to write Henrietta's story, which has never really been the focus before.  Most in the medical field have heard of HeLa cells and their contribution to their field, but very few knew where those cells came from; Henrietta Lacks. 

I highly recommend this book. While it is very informative, it is extremely interesting to know how a lot of our current medical practices came to be (albeit some were rather controversial and questionable).

Blueberry Brunch Bake

I don't normally cook breakfast, mostly because I like my sleep too much and by the time I get up I don't have much time to spend cooking.  But my husband convinced me to cook breakfast for his office and this was something easy that could be put together the night before and cooked in the morning. I found it in my cookbook stash from one of the Taste of Home books. 

Ingredients:
1 loaf (1 pound) day-old French bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened blueberries (plus extra for topping if desired)
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 eggs
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup maple syrup (plus extra for serving if desired)

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the eggs, yogurt, sour cream, vanilla, and cinnamon. Gradually add milk and maple syrup until blended.

Place half of the bread cubes in a greased shallow 3 quart baking dish.

Sprinkle with blueberries, then pour half of the cream cheese mixture over top. Top with remaining bread cubes and cream cheese mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 20-25 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with additional blueberries if desired. Let stand for 5 minutes. Serve with additional syrup if desired.

Book Club Read: One Day

This month's book for book club is One Day.  I had never heard of it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.  The story visits the two main characters, Emma Morely and Dexter Mayhew on the same day each year over 20 years.  Everything begins in the 1980s as both are graduating from college and are getting ready to embark of their new lives.  Emma is a bookish, shy girl who wants to change the world, while Dexter is a handsome, cocky playboy who is getting ready to travel on his parents' money for the next year or so.  They decide to be friends, despite the sexual tension and the reader gets to see how their friendship develops over time with all their ups and downs, successes and epic failures. 

Very cute book. Since this takes place mostly in and around London, there is that certain British humor that I love. All the one-liners and quippy dialogue to keep things interesting!