Sao Paulo: first impressions

Olá, Brasil! Arriving in Sao Paulo, Brazil as a trailing spouse to Greggles provided the excitement of adding another continent to the list, and for me the first time I've been below the equator in 16 years. 

I've been reading up on this sprawling city (3,090 square miles!) with 20 million residents, and the major thread running through it all is ... crime. Oh well - you just cannot openly carry anything of value and you should be okay. And avoid motorcycles, especially those with two riders.

My impressions from our first few hours here ... 

Lots of serious poverty - we're talking desperately poor.

Graffiti everywhere, even in posh neighborhoods.

Traffic. All the time. What do you expect with 20 million residents plus visitors?

Amazing, amazing espresso - thank goodness for our access to the executive lounge at the hotel, with constant access. Coffee helped create this city.

Very meaty culture ... everything is about meat and I'm guessing that vegetarians have to look for options. Churrasco flavored potato chips, even. And what's up with the abundance of white bread? Weird...

And we really need to figure out a few words of Portuguese ... even with the World Cup coming here in a few weeks, signage is not in multiple languages and English is not something you hear a lot.

Portuguese is an interesting language - it sounds like what happens when you put Spanish, Japanese and French in a blender.

We will be venturing out a bit tomorrow, so I look forward to exploring more of local culture and maybe finding a good caipirinha!

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Filling passport pages in Houston

As the most ethnically diverse city in the nation, you can imagine that Houston always has something happening which is influenced by well-known and sometimes obscure cultures. We especially embrace this, since it's part of what makes Houston so special. The art, food, dance, religions, and cultural customs which converge upon HTX daily, distinguished from one another yet threaded together by the 90-plus languages spoken here on any day.

The Japan Festival is a decades-long tradition in our city to celebrate the 'Way of Japan' - from both ancient and current perspectives. Since the Asian population in Houston continues to grow and have a larger hand in shaping our city, its popularity also grows. Here are some scenes from the event...

the warriors ...

 
 the anime ...

of course Capri knew every character ...

Can't wait for the International Festival - this year Australia is a theme! G'day, mate.

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Welcoming our new granddaughter

Hard to imagine it at my young age (cough, cough), but we now have three granddaughters. Actually, I did none of the hard work - like giving birth or raising kids to get to this point. But it's so nice to reap the rewards of being a grandparent. 

Hard to imagine that Louanne and Mike went to China to adopt Nadia almost seven years ago, and that Amelie is already four. Now there is Dani, who just turned two, and has been living in this country for just a few short weeks. To say the least, she's adorable. And she's learning English at an astonishing rate. And she has her own distinct personality, different from her two sisters. 

Greg and I were able to meet her, finally. We had waffles for dinner (apparently for Nadia and Amelie, the concepts of 'Papa' and 'waffles' are forever inextricably linked), and got in some fun playtime with all three. 

And we even got Dani to give us huge smiles and giggles for pictures (she usually wears a pouty face in group photos). I especially loved watching Nadia and Amelie play.  

The only slight disappointment is that there wasn't a spare superhero cape in my size. 

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Trail Mix, Remixed = Granola on the Cheap

I like granola every now and then - it's great on yogurt and fruit, and makes a nice little breakfast when paired with almond milk. But it's kind of expensive. 

Upon discovering the forgotten remnants of five bags of trail mix intended for Greg, I figured there's a way to make something good out of these leftovers instead of tossing them. So, I picked through them all and saved the best stuff for a stellar batch of granola. Voila! - trail mix, remixed! 

I made this recipe from about 15 recipes - switch up your ingredients however you like. The basics are oats, nuts, seeds, fruits and a binding ingredient. Spices are up to you.

You'll need:

3 cups of old-fashioned oats
1 cup (approx.) of raw almonds/cashews/hazelnuts, roughly chopped
1 cup (approx.) of seeds - pumpkin (green ones), flax, chia, sunflower, etc. 
1/3 cup (approx.) of shaved coconut
1 cup (approx.) of dried fruits - raisins, cranberries, dates
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup or honey 
1/4 cup vegetable oil 
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
pinch of nutmeg

To make:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In large bowl, mix together oats, nuts, seeds and coconut. In small bowl, mix sugar, syrup/honey, oil, vanilla, salt and spices. 

Drizzle over dry ingredients and mix well. Place on large cookie sheet lined with nonstick baking pad or parchment. 

Bake for about 45 minutes, stirring gently a few times, until it's golden and smells incredible. 

Remove from oven, cool for a few minutes and then put in a big bowl. Add fruits and mix gently. Let it cool completely before putting it in a container (I just throw it in a large zipper bag). 

Enjoy!!

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I could give you my word as a Spaniard

"I could give you my word as a Spaniard."

"No good. I've known too many Spaniards."

Greg and I love to quote this from our fave flick The Princess Bride, since he is of Spanish heritage. Plus, it's funny to say it in public because you find out who else is in the Princess Bride Club. 

I was fortunate enough to tag along with Greg to Spain (business for him). We've been to Barcelona previously, and we're fans. 

There's something magical about standing in front of any building or park designed by Antoni Gaudi. 

Or wandering through ancient Roman architecture, losing yourself in the mazed passageways of Barri Gotic, allowing yourself to succumb to the wafting smells of tiny restaurants and dimly lit antique shops. 

Spaniards are fascinating to me anyway, but the barcelonians are a little different and hard to just group with the rest of the country. This happens with other regions too, of course. 

What I like about barcelonians ...

• they tend to be friendlier than other European cultures
• they're social people and enjoy all kinds of interactions, whether it's chatting over a coffee or sharing tapas
• they're very culturally inclined, surrounding themselves with great design
• they love their dogs - a bunch
• they speak both Catalan and Spanish, in most cases
• they don't get a lot of sleep (seeing as dinner time starts around 10 pm...)
• they love to eat!

Yep, Barcelona is a pretty enjoyable place to hang out. And I think if a resident there gave me their word as a Spaniard, I'd be inclined to believe them!

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Pantry turkey sausage-sweet potato egg-topped hash

If you're craving a ton of flavor, a few nice nutrients and a satisfying dish for any meal, here's an easy one to try. And for the most part, this uses what you already have on hand. Even better. 

For this hash, you'll need:

1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 of a red bell pepper, diced
1/2 onion (any kind), diced
2 cloves of garlic
4 links of breakfast turkey sausage, or two large links of regular turkey sausage, sliced
About 4 sprigs of parsley, finely chopped
3 sage leaves, finely sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Eggs - one per serving
Mustard for serving

Method

Steam sweet potatoes in a covered bowl in the microwave with a bit of water (a few tablespoons), about 4 minutes. Drain. 

Heat large heavy-bottomed pan to medium, and drizzle in a few teaspoons of olive oil. 

Saute onions, garlic and red pepper for about 3 minutes, until they become slightly translucent. Add turkey and saute until it begins to caramelize. Add sweet potatoes, herbs and salt and pepper. If mixture is dry, add a few tablespoons of chicken broth. 

While the hash finishes cooking, fry or poach an egg for each serving. Plate hash, top with an egg, crack some nice black pepper over the top and pass around a good quality mustard. 

I recommend this locally-made one from Revival Market - it's sweet enough and crunchy from the whole mustard seeds. YUM!!

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Found a use for leftover kolaches

Before the syrup

Those leftover kolaches don't need to be chucked, after all.

A highly popular pastry in Texas, kolaches are of Czech origin. The 'real' kolache is actually a wedding pastry filled with fruit - never meat. What we call the kolache in Texas is actually a klobasnek, which is essentially a little hot dog and cheese baked inside a rather large, sweetish airbag of fluffy dough. 

Kolaches are a twice a year occurrence for us. When Greg is given the green light to fetch said treats, he buys too many. Which in turn means there will be one or two strays which are popped in the fridge and promptly forgotten. 

Last night, in my usual bout of insomnia, I thought - why not slice up the remaining kolaches and make them into Czech French Toast? And - whattaya know - it worked.  

Czech-ish French Toast

2-3 leftover kolaches, sliced diagonally in 1/2" slices
2 eggs, beaten 
1 T milk or half and half
Pinch of salt
Pinch of sugar
Shake of cayenne pepper 
Shake of nutmeg
Maple syrup

Beat together egg through nutmeg, dip kolache pieces in mixture and do your thing as you would French toast. 

Drizzle over the maple syrup and enjoy! 

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