How clean is the dishwasher? - Resourcefulness Resolution

Well, the baby didn't cry, as you can see (read more about it here), so I started cleaning... the dishwasher. (I had to start with something easy, you know). I decided I am focusing on areas that are usually neglected like the inside of appliances, under the furniture, door handles, etc...

I read in a magazine that in order to clean it from bacteria and etc, you should run an empty load with just one cup of vinegar and select the hot water cycle, so I did it. When it was done, I checked to see how clean it was. I have to tell you it was pretty decent, but I still found this:

Gross, huh? So I grabbed a paper towel, sprayed some cleaning product in it and wiped it down...

The red color in it is because I used red wine vinegar (that was the only kind I had at hand). And this is the after look:

So now I have a clean dishwasher and know for sure my dishes will be clean when I have them washed there!

The Brazilican learner

Keeping a clean house - Resourcefulness Resolution

Hi guys!

Following up on my New Year's Resolution (read about it here in case you missed it), I decided that in February I will focus on keeping my resources clean (February is perfect because it has less days hehehe). I figured that in order to make the most of the stuff I already have it I'd better keep it in good shape.

I also decided to write about cleaning your home in a blog series until the end of the year (40 weeks to be more precise, I will explain it better later) so that I have you guys to keep me in line since cleaning is something I don't like to do (I hate it but I am trying to be nice here).

So, let the cleaning begin! (hopefully the baby will start crying and I can use that as an excuse to start tomorrow ;))

The Brazilican Learner

Brazilian Savory Cake - New Year's Resolution

Hi there!

 This year for my principle resolution (read more about it here) I decided I want to be more resourceful, that is, to make the most of the resources already available to me. So, in January I decided to start in my kitchen. (If you want to be amused, read about my first failure here). When I opened my refrigerator last weekend, there were lots of things about to go bad... Tomatoes, carrots, onions... And so I looked on my recipe book and found a wonderful, nutritious and yummy recipe of what I am calling Brazilian savory cake. I haven't had this in years and oh, it was so good to eat it again. A special thanks to the Tofaneto family for the recipe :).

I did buy four ingredients that were missing, but that was it. I had all the rest at home - and trust me, the end result was waaaaaay better than my "invention" of Spam and cottage cheese.

But you may be wondering... What is this cake made of? Well, it is made of layers of crustless sandwich bread and three different fillings - creamy chicken, spinach and corn, and carrots. (I can post the recipe on another post if you guys are interested, just let me know)
All that covered in mashed potatoes icing (bear with me American friends it is worth it) and potato sticks. I will show you in pictures what I did. Here it is:

First I cooked the chicken for the first filling with chicken broth.

While that was doing its yumminess magic, I blended corn, olive oil and flour and cooked it until the flour taste was gone.

Then I added frozen spinach to it. And the second filling was done.

Then I shredded the cooked chicken and put it back in the broth (I tweaked the recipe a little) and added tomatoes... And let it cook some more.

Meanwhile, I added the carrots to cream cheese and table cream (creme de leite) and some nutmeg, and the third filling was done.

Then I added some table cream to the chicken, and the first filling was done.

Now the hard work is over. All you gotta do is cut the crust off the bread...  (I will use those to make breadcrumbs or croutons later, for now I froze the crusts)

Make a layer of the bread and pour some milk and salt to it for moisture...

Spread the first filling, make another layer of bread, spread the second filling, another layer of bread, the third one, another layer of bread and then top it with the mashed potatoes icing...(which is basically mashed potatoes and mayo)

And of course the potato sticks ( you could use the toasted crusts instead - just toast them with oregano, olive oil and salt and you have delicious croutons)...

And this is the result:

It is yummy, it has veggies in it and looks colorful and best of all, I used my resources! Yay! Oh, and when I was prepping ingredients I had leftovers of chopped green onions, onions and parsley, so guess what I did? I froze them as is...

Their textures will change a little, but they are still great for stews and other recipes in which they are cooked! So now I have to think of what I can do to use them and the crusts... hehehe maybe another experiment will come soon... ;)


What about you, how are you doing on your resolution?