The rice cakes were saved.

posted on: Saturday, August 30, 2008

I am on VACATION! Our vacation started out yesterday on a very bad note. We packed up our car Thursday night so that we could leave our home by 6:00am. At 6:00am when we walked out to our car our bags were stolen except for the rice cakes were saved. We are super bummed, especially because I had a lot of nice jewelry in my bag and Christian had a lot of camping gear. We are mostly bummed because we love the community we live in and have always felt very safe. So now on Monday I am off to Hawaii with no shorts and no swimsuit. Luckily I am going to visit family and friends that can lend me stuff.

I'll be blogging from Hawaii where I am excited to eat at the shrimp trucks, Ted's Bakery, Haleiwa Eats, and at my MIL's house where there are so many people who are always visiting that there is always a ton of food laying around.

Have a fun labor day weekend.
xoxo Damaris

Coxinha! Brazilian fried dumplings.

posted on: Thursday, August 28, 2008

Coxinha is a popular Brazilian snack also knows as part of the Salgadinho family. It's a sort of appetizer/ finger food. These small delicious fried things are labor intensive so we usually only eat it on special ocassions. My good friend Silvinha encouraged me to make some and so I got a small crew together and in half an hour these babies were done. Here is a step by step process of how to make coxinhas. Give it a try. You won't regret it!
COXINHAS
Ingredients for the dough

  • 4 1/2 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons chicken buillon
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 2 egg yolks diluted in 1/2 cup of water
  • 5 cups all purpose flour
  1. In a medium sauce pan dissolve the chicken bouillon in the water.
  2. Add the butter, milk and egg yolks to the chicken bouillon mixture.
  3. Mix the ingredients together and bring to a full boil.
  4. Slowly add the flour and continue to mix until the mixture is no longer sticking to the bottom of the pan.
  5. Remove the mixture from the heat and let it cool down enough so that you can shape it in the palm of your hands
Chicken Filling
  • 2 pounds shredded cooked chicken breast. (I like to bake a whole chicken because I think it is easier)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 3 garlic bulbs
  • 2 tomatoes (remove the skin and seeds)
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
  1. Sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil.
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients except the parsley and mix until the mixture is dry.
  3. Add the parsley.
Assembling the Coxinha

Shape some of the dough in your hand like this

Add about 2 tablespoons of the filling to the center of the dough
Close the dough around the filling and shape it like a chicken drumstick and dip it in milk and then bread crumbs
Deep fry for about 2-4 minutes in HOT oil
serve warm with a nice green salad so that you don't feel totally unhealthy :)

Solving your kitchen problems one giveaway at a time!

posted on: Tuesday, August 26, 2008

GIVEAWAY: PAPER GOODIES FOR YOUR KITCHEN
What's more delicious than food? PAPER! I love paper so much I could practically eat it. Today's giveaway is sponsored by three different shops that make cute paper products for your kitchen.
The first shop is sugar and meringue whose specialty is vintage designs such as the cupcake toppers featured above and these other products featured below.


She also happens to have one of my favorite blogs in the world that makes you crave cupcakes every time you look at it so beware.

The second shop is Pink Bathtub who is giving away the Go Green recipe cards.
When I saw this shop I knew right away that I needed to have some of her recipe cards. They are so beautiful and now that I am looking at her stationary I might have to get some of those too.


The third shop is the first all Paris etsy shop.
Since it's back to school week you get a set of hand painted bags for each day of the week. Everything from this shop is hand painted including all the lovely dishes.

So what do you have to do to win all three products? You just need to leave me a comment by next week Tuesday September 2nd telling me what your favorite product is from ONE of the stores. However, if you want to say something nice about all three that would be great. Only one comment per person please. This giveaway is open to everyone including those residing outside of the U.S.
Good luck!

Lucky You!

who would of thought cloth napkins would be such a success?I guess the real question is how could they not be?!

I'm excited for jceko77 who will have new mint and lemon sherbet napkins.
e-mail me your address so I can send you your napkins.

Blackberry Jam

posted on: Monday, August 25, 2008

The blackberry saga culminated into mass production of jam. I am happy to announce that we are finally packing our bags for our trip instead of picking blackberries.

If you too are surrounded with blackberries I highly suggest making jam because it's easy as heck. Before making jam for the first time I had an image of fancy jars and fancy jam making equipment in my head (whatever that may be). I'm sure the fancy stuff helps but I'm not fancy so I had to make do with what I have and I'm happy to say that the jam turned out great and that I no longer have a bunch of empty old glass jars on top of my cabinets. The old glass jars are filled with jam that should last us until next summer when we will once again welcome blackberries back into our kitchen.

BLACKBERRY JAM
The first thing you need to do is wash and sterilize all of your jars and lids. I did this by washing them out in the sink and them placing the jars and the lids inside a large pot with boiling water. I left the jars in the pot with the boiling water for about 3 minutes and then took them out with a wooden spoon and placed them on top of a cookie sheet. I left the lids in the pot until I was ready to fill the jars up with the jam.
  • 4 pints of blackberry
  • 7 cups sugar
  • 1 box of pectin
  1. Wash the blackberries and and remove all stems or leaves.
  2. Place the blackberries in a large mixing bowl and slightly mash them. I used my hands but I'm sure it would work with a potato masher.
  3. Measure 5 cups of mashed blackberries and put it in a large pan.
  4. Stir the blackberries with a wooden spoon and bring to full rolling boil.
  5. Once the blackberries begin to boil add the pectin and continue to stir.
  6. Bring the blackberry-pectin mixture back to a full rolling boil and add the sugar.
  7. Continue stirring. When it reaches a full boil you will want it to boil hard for 1 minute and then remove from the heat.
  8. Fill the sterilized jars within 1/4 inch of the top.Wipe of the spilled jam from the jars and set the lids on top.
  9. Some people have a those big caning pots where you can place the jars inside to help it set. I don't have one so I turned the jars upside down for ten minutes and then turned them up again and didn't move them for a couple hours until they were completely cooled down.
This summer was the first time that I used blackberries. Here are some of the things that I've made.

crepes
puff pastry
cheese cake

Tea Time

posted on: Saturday, August 23, 2008

I just came back from the 4th Annual Fiber Art Exhibition where I saw this amazing quilt made entirely out of used tea bags.
What a creative way to recycle food products. I would love to have this hanging from my kitchen wall.

salad, salad, salad...I love SALAD!

posted on: Thursday, August 21, 2008

Sometimes I get so hungry and cranky and open the fridge and there is nothing made and I get even more hungry and cranky. I then proceed to scream "THERE IS NOTHING TO EAT ARGHHHHH!" and this is usually directed at my husband because somehow when I'm in that state I convince myself that he is responsible for my hunger. This is followed by me threatening him "I'll have to eat Doritos." Christian hates Doritos. He hates it when I eat Doritos. He hates Doritos breath and hates kissing me with Doritos breath. So usually this little skit is followed by Christian saying "why don't you eat ________ (insert something quick and easy to make) I'l make it for you." This time he said "Why don't you eat salad, oh and make it yourself"

So I made myself a lovely salad with spinach, tomatoes from my garden, heart of palm, and olives.
and it was HEAVEN!

Not food related but HOLY CANNOLI




On Monday I came home from work at 10:00pm starving, tiered, and stressed out because I hadn't packed my stuff to go to SF and our friend was coming to pick us up immediately. After getting some food and sitting down to eat I saw these roses on top of the table. I honestly could not figure out why Christian had gotten me roses. Was it because I had been the crabbiest wife lately? couldn't be! Then I saw his note that said "Happy 50th month anniversary. Eu te amo muito, Christian." and then I saw THIS



The picture is terribly dark and doesn't do justice to the new ring I got.

Christian had mentioned that we should celebrate our 50th month wedding anniversary, remember? I thought he was kidding and totally forgot that Monday was the day.

SO this is why I hope to be married to this guy for at least another 50 years. And also because he's insanely hot!

Solving Your Kitchen Problems One Giveaway at a Time!

posted on: Tuesday, August 19, 2008

GIVEAWAY: Reusable Cloth Napkins (set of 4)

Check out these delicious fabrics! I've been waiting for this giveaway for over a month and I'm so excited I finally get to host it.

Today's giveaway is sponsored by The Guestroom Closet. This is a shop run by 3 lovely women (mom and her 2 daughters) who love to sew and have an impeccable taste for lively fabrics. They make pretty things such as these reusable napkins.



I know it's hard to imagine ever using such pretty things to clean you greasy fingers but they are reversible AND washable. Hooray for talented women who have mommy friendly thoughts.

The ladies over at The Guestroom Closet have agreed to give you the set of napkins of your choice. So many fabrics to choose from and I'm interested to know which one you pick.

To enter this giveaway you need to
  1. Visit The Guestroom Closet Cloth Napkin Section
  2. Pick your favorite fabric
  3. Come back to Kitchen Corners and leave a comment by Tuesday August 26 telling us which set of napkins you choose. Remember if you win those are the ones you get. PLEASE leave your name after your comment if you are posting anonymously (U.S mailing address only).
  4. One comment will be chosen at random and announced next week Tuesday. Make sure to come back and see if you are the lucky winner.
Be sure to also check out their blog www.theguestroomcloset.blogspot.com for more fun things.

Lucky You!

KungFuCowGirl's stuff is so kawaii and I'm glad you thought so too.

The winner for the foodies pouch with treats is Liz:) who said "First I want to say thanks for showing me the way to this shop! Insanely CUTE! I love the donuts and the fudgsicle earrings... I was going to say I would like to see Taco earrings but low and behold I found them there too. Soooo how about little cups of java or cocoa? :)"

Liz with the smiley face send me your address by e-mail so I can send you your prize.

For the rest of you don't be sad because the truth is that KungFuCowGirl's shop is TOTALLY reasonably priced, and I rarely think anything is reasonably priced so there you go!

By the way I really enjoyed reading everyone comments. Everyone had great ideas. The idea that I had was was rice cakes but only because it's my son's favorite food and he would trip out if I wore some rice cakes on my ears.

Watermelon Juice

posted on: Sunday, August 17, 2008

Watermelon Juice
  • 1 cup chopped seedless watermelon
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • Ice cubes (as many as you want. I like to use at least 5)
  1. Place all the ingredients in a blender.

2. Blend it all up until the ice is crushed and you reach a smooth consistency.
3. Pour in a large cup and decorate with shaped ice.

Cookie Cutter Ideas

posted on: Friday, August 15, 2008




Who said cookie cutters are just for cookies?! Cookie cutters are also for making fun sandwiches and tortilla chips and a lot more that I haven't discovered yet. Click on any of the pictures if you want a recipe.

How do you put your cookies cutters to none-cookie use?

hey, thanks for coming by!


Yesterday I got 1161 hits on my blog. I know that's what food bloggers like Simply Recipes get every second, but still I was stoked.

I was especially happy because 99% of the hits were for the blog post Public School Lunch: Should you smile or cry? I'm so pleased that my readers care about real issues and not just how many cups of sugar to put in a cookie recipe, even though that is most definitely important.

My first experience with activism was around this issue (school lunches not cups of sugar). When I was in 6th grade I complained about the school lunch to my teacher. This was the teacher who had just been arrested for demonstrating against Newt Gincrich because Newt wanted to cut back on free lunches. When I told this teacher that school lunches were gross he took it to heart and helped me write a letter to the Chicago BOE about my complaints. The next month the school had been ordered to have me, the 6th grader, in ALL their meal planning meetings. Basically this meant that I could advocate for pizzas every Friday instead of sloppy Joes. It's true that no big changes were made but it didn't matter at that time because I had just realized that my voice could be heard, I'm really not trying to get corny on you so just bear with me, and that I didn't have to eat mystery meat every other day.

That said, I want to first thank you for reading my blog. It sure makes me happy that you come and visit and revisit. Second, I want to encourage you to advocate for better school lunches in your community by writing to your BOE or your local representative or forming a meal co-op with other parents to pack lunches for your kids. Third, don't be sad if I never review any more products for McCain foods limited. Something tells me that they're not going to be sending me anything, at least not until they start making less greasy and less over processed food.

Pumpkin Ice Cream

posted on: Wednesday, August 13, 2008

I'm trying the deceptively delicious method of being sneaky and using more fruits and vegetables in my cooking. I made a meatloaf with tons of purred carrots and for dessert I made pumpkin ice cream, courtesy of my grandmother's recipes. Being lactose intolerant sucks and I'm almost weeping right now. I just tried this and all modesty aside it's AMAZING. If my husband doesn't kiss my feet today for making this I don't know how else to please him. Enzo being a Palmer is also very much into ice cream and and I feel much better having him eat home made ice cream, especially if it's loaded with pumpkin, than store bought ice cream.

PUMPKIN ICE CREAM
  • 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 can pureed pumpkin (15 .oz)
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons powdered cinnamon
  1. Whip the heavy cream until it forms a thick whip cream, be careful not to run it into butter.
  2. In a small bowl whisk the egg yolk with powdered sugar and milk.
  3. Add the egg mixture to the whip cream and mix until it is smooth.
  4. Place the mixture in the freezer for 10 minutes
  5. In a medium sized bowl mix the pureed pumpkin with the bown sugar and cinnamon.
  6. Add the pumpkin mixture to the whip cream and mix on medium speed for 30 seconds.
  7. Put in the freezer and serve when it is completely frozen.

Public School Lunch: Should you smile or cry?

posted on: Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Last week I received a big box in the mail from McCain Foods Limited. They are the leading brand in frozen foods and one, if not the biggest, supplier of foods to public schools around the country. They are excited about new products that your child will soon eat, or at least see, in public school cafeterias. One of the products is the smiley fries shown above.

I enjoy my blog very much and I appreciate getting free food in the mail to review. However, in case you are wondering, I do not make any money from my blog and truthfully you could not pay me enough to say nice things about your product if I don't like it. Everything I say here I actually mean. So, thank you McCain Foods Limited for sending me this but I believe that school lunches should be healthier, much healthier.

I made the smiley fries tonight. I was given instructions to either deep fry or bake and I decided to bake and this is what they looked like.
And Enzo loved it! My son has not been the easiest eater. I was stoked he liked these and I don't mind feeding him smiley fries once in a while. They tasted good, they were surprisingly crunchy, and of course they were drowning in grease. Would I want Enzo to eat these or similar foods every day? Definitely not. My children will go to public school one day and I am seriously concerned with what they will be offered at their cafeteria. Will I have to pack them a lunch? Probably. However, to even acknowledge that I will probably pack them a lunch is a privilege that most parents don't have. When I was in public school in Chicago my parents did not have the means and much less the time to pack my sisters and I a lunch. In fact we ate all 3 meals at school and it was gross and very unhealthy. It also didn't look anything like these smiley fries.

Enzo liked eating these because of the taste but also because of the way they look. I know that even if I packed Enzo a lunch from home he would get to school and try to get his hands on these. Can you blame him? They look fun. So now I have to worry about making him a healthy lunch that looks cool. Smiley face beans? I don't think so.

What are your thoughts and concerns about public school meals?

Solving your kitchen problems one giveaway at a time!

GIVEAWAY: Foodie pouch with yummy treats.

About 2 months ago I found this F.U.N etsy shop called KUNG FU COWGIRL and am now parading my own foodie pouch. I call it a foodie pouch because it's where I keep my food money. Since I'm on a budget (we're doing the poor graduate student thing) I like to take out the exact amount of cash that I will use for the month for food and set it aside. The pouch is perfect. You can use it for cash or you can use it to carry around the other goodies that come with this giveaway such as...
The cupcake and pizza earrings are my favorite!You also get some other fun things in your pouch but it's a surprise.So go ahead and visit her shop by clicking on the image below.
Come back and leave me a comment between now and Tuesday August 18 telling me what food item would make fun earrings. One entry per person please. Also, if you are leaving a comment using the anonymous feature make sure you actually leave your NAME. I'll randomly select a comment and announce the winner on August 18.
Good luck!
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