Dad at the Nevada Museum of Art

After a recommendation from the receptionist at the Nevada Museum of Art, my dad and I went to Hill Street for a bite of eat at Sodo, which stands for “South Downtown”. Although from the outside I thought it would be a more casual bar/restaurant, the inside is pretty fancy and the food is pretty gourmet, with a nice wine list and some vegan and vegetarian options.

Sodo

None of the entrees caught my attention, so I had a couple of appetizers instead. The spinach and strawberry balsamic scallops were regular. I think it was missing something heavier for a sauce… Or maybe I just really miss the way the last restaurant I worked at did their scallops. However, the tempura shrimp with the wasabi sauce was divine. Wanted to order a second portion, but decided to save room for dessert.

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Glad I did, because the brownie was crazy good. It had a pretzel crust on the bottom and salted caramel on top. Yum! I think I even dreamt about it later that night.

Brownie

I’m still getting my organic basket every week, but with my dad in town, the veggies go much quicker! This week I had some cucumbers, which is pretty much the only vegetable I don’t like, so I decided to try something different: how about roasting them in the oven? This roasted potatoes and vegetables dish is super easy because you can just add whatever vegetables you have, the cleaning is minimal because of the aluminum foil, and during the 45 minutes it takes to be ready, you can go on a 4 mile run!

Roasted Potatoes and Vegetables

Roasted Potatoes and Vegetables

2 lbs potatoes – peeled and cubed

1 cucumber – peeled and cubed

2 crookneck squashes – cubed

2 tomatoes – diced

½ onion – diced

¼ cup olive oil

1 tbsp. Italian Seasoning

Salt and Pepper

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients until the vegetables are coated with the olive oil and herb mix. Line a large casserole dish with aluminum foil and spread the vegetables in it. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until tender.

Makes 4 servings of 350 calories each.

This week my Brazilian friend V. invited me to her place to learn to make “coxinha de galinha”, an appetizer from Brazil. I don’t miss many things from my home country since my mom sends me the mixture to make “pao de queijo” every month, but after she mentioned “coxinha”, my mouth started to water. It’s a fried dough stuffed with shredded chicken found everywhere in Brazil. We eat it in parties, at home, as an appetizer, as a snack, anytime, anywhere.

Coxinha de Galinha

I thought she had made “coxinha” many times before, but when I arrived she was watching a YouTube video to learn how to make it. Instead of following the recipe step-by-step like I would, she shut off her computer and started to make it by scratch. It was quite funny for her to hear me ask questions like “how to you mince garlic?” or “what does kneading mean?”, but people don’t believe me when I say I don’t know how to cook until they see me ask stupid cooking questions like that. I didn’t really learn how to make “coxinha” that day. I’m yet to master the whole cooking by scratch thing. However, I’m really good at eating. They were huge appetizers, but I ate two at her house, then two while driving back home, and two more when I got home. I’m sorry, but all you guys who are gluten free, healthy eaters, don’t know what you’re missing. Indulging in some fried dough once in a while is what life is all about!

So what does “coxinha” have to do with “palha italiana”? Well, nothing, except that after eating some Brazilian food, I started craving more! While at work today, someone told the new staff that I make pretty good desserts, so that was my cue to make something at home. “Palha italiana” is one of those things that remind me of my childhood, then of middle school, and then of even college, because it is also a snack/dessert I could find anytime, anywhere in Brazil.

Palha Italiana – Brazilian Graham Cracker Cookie Bar

Palha Italiana

1 can condensed milk
3 tbsp. chocolate power
2 tbsp. butter
8 sheets of Graham crackers

In a bowl, crumble the Graham Crackers (in Brazil, “biscoito Maizena”). Reserve.
In a pan, mix the condensed milk, the chocolate powder, and the butter. Stir in low heat for 10-15 minutes or until mixture gets a little thicker.
Add the Graham cracker crumbles and mix it all together.
Pour the mixture into a 9×9 pan and let it cool. Cut it into 9 squares.

Calories: 275 per square