Soya Bean Soup

Soya is a source of Folic Acid and Vitamin C and B1 and has finally taken an important role on our daily cuisine.

It became easy to find it on supermarket shelves and in addition it is also available frozen.

I am addicted to this soup , so easy and yet so heathly and tasty.

Receipt for 4/6 people.

500 grs of soya beans

250 grs of leak

Olive oil

1 garlic clove

Coriander

Mint

1 dl low fat cream

2 lts of water

Salt and Peper

Place the olive oil on a soup pan and add the leak in slices, the soya beans and the garlic. Let it stew for a 15 minutes and add cup of water if necessary.

Add the water and leave it to boil for at least 45 minutes.

When cooked , process or blend until very smooth.

Add now the cream and salt and pepper. Bring to boil again.

Serve compose plate with the coriander and the mint.

Pumpkin Jam

Pumpkin Jam is very popular specially over Christmas.

It is quite simple to make, however it requires very good eye to see when it is done and just few minutes more can mean a cristalysed pumpkin jam.

I use a very orange quality of pumpkin.

For 2 kgs of clean pumpkin (orange color)

1 kg of sugar

2 cinnamon sticks

The day before, cut the pumpking into slices, peel and remove all seeds.

Cut into small pieces.

This is the moment where you should check the weight.

Place in a bowl together with the suger and the cinnamon.

Leave 24 hours.

Next day , you will find much more liquid from the pumpkin and sugar.

Mix well and place in a jam pan (type coper) and bring to the fire for 40 minutes.

You can check when it is ready by placing a small drop of liquid into two fingers and if it sticks, it is ready.

Let it cool and place into jam jars.

Optional - this jam is great also by adding nuts while still in the fire.
Good Jam to eat with cheese , specially strong cheese like Serra da Estrela.

Tomate Jam

Jams have fallen into the «not trendy» category years ago mainly due to the amount of sugar you need to use, however I keep making them every year and make an happening out of this by involving my children on the event.

This is one of my favorite jams as it really brings me back to my childhood. My mother which is an great cook, made it since ever I remember and I will never forget how fun it was to pick from the back yard all the very red big tomatos and spend the full day around pans and sugars.

Here's how to make it.

1,5 kgs of tomatoes beefsteak

1 kg of white sugar

2 cinnamon sticks

Put a pan with water into boiling.

Dip the tomatoes one by one into the boiling water for 30/40 seconds.

Remove from the hot water and quickly dip them on cold water.

Peel the tomates , cut them in quarters and remove all seeds.

Place all the tomatoes cleaned and cutted into a jam pan ( usually I use a coper pan), add the sugar and the cinnamon sticks.

Put on medium fire for 30/40 minutes withour lid.

Take a tea spoon of the liquid and put in a plate, let it cold and if sticks to your finger , it is ready to turn fire off.

While still warm , place it in proper jam jars and let it 24 hours withour lid.

Close jars and keep them on a cold place. It will be perfect for all the year.

(Optional - you can also make a new version adding 0,5 kgs of apple cut into small pieces)

Bullying... how to deal with it

The world is a strange place...

I became very interested in the subjet after I discovered many years ago that my daughter was part of the inumerous cases of bullying in schools.
Bullying is when a person is picked on over and over again by an individual or group with more power, either in terms of physical strength or social standing.

Two of the main reasons people are bullied are because of appearance and social status. Bullies pick on the people they think don't fit in, maybe because of how they look, how they act (for example, kids who are shy ) or their race.
Every day thousands of teenagers wake up afraid to go to school as bullying is a problem that affects millions of students of all races and classes.

Bullying has everyone worried , kids,parents and teachers although we not always see it and may not understand how extreme bullying can get.
Some bullies attack their targets physically,others use psychological control or verbal insults to put themselves in charge. One of the most painful aspects of bullying is that it is relentless. Most people can take one episode of teasing or name calling . However, when it goes on and on, bullying can put a person in a state of constant fear.
People who are bullied may find very difficult to acomplish their schoolwork and their health might suffer. Studies show that people who are abused are at risk for mental health problems, such as low self-esteem, stress or even depression.

Here I leave some advise to those being bullyed.

• avoid being alone


• ignore the bully and walk away


• hold anger


• don't loose faith in yourself


• don't get physical


• practice confidence


• take charge of your life


• talk about it and share your fears with people you trust


• count on your family to support


• find your true friends


• keep your head up - no one is better than you

Bulliers are usually disturbed people in search of revenge for their own personal fears and do not measure the intensity of the pain and scars that this might leave in your life.

Bullying is silence; people who are being bullied often feel there is nothing to gain by speaking out ,therefore allowing it to continue.
Trying to ignore bullying doesn't always work, but sometimes people get bored if you're indifferent to their teasing.
If you try and note down instances of when you're being bullied, it can help you if you decide to talk to someone about your situation. Take down details such as when and where you were bullied, what was said or done and who was doing it.
People who get bullied often think they've done something wrong, but it's the person doing the bullying who has the problem.

Ps. This article was co-written by my daughter Bia.

Emergency Beauty Kit

Feeling really bad after a long day working?

Or after a long flight?

Want to feel new? Keep this in mind.

Before sleeping , apply a Boosting Mask from Neutrogena and keep it for 15 minutes. After removing the excess , apply the fantastic Over-Night Biological Peel from Dr. Kiehl's and go to sleep.

Wake up feeling great next morning , clean skin with just water and apply this One Base - concealer and foundation in One from CARGO.

Centro Cultural Banco Brasil - Rio de Janeiro March 2008

This work is called «The dream of the plant in the office» from Gerda Steiner and Jorg Lenzinger.

The only photos I could make are from an incredible work of art made all our of recycled material such as paper, plastic, metal, giving an illusion of a garden suspendend in the ceiling.

This exhibition called Tropicos forges a link between works from Africa, Asia, Oceania and tropical America. «Myths are machines that abolish time, this is why they are appropriated to effortlessly link ancient and new art» . This exhibition enables its visitors to move within an environment in which the myths eliminate the abyss separating modern thinking from that of the so-called primitive people.

Being a mum and a business woman

This is «the» question?

I was very young when I was a mother for the first time. Life was pushing me all over the place and I really didn't know how or where to focus.

Off course I had a son to love, raise and educate but my whole life was also passing by and I am not a mission impossible person.

So much have been written about this topic and so little did I caught from what I heard , I wanted to make sure that the task was possible.

Off course , I was always blessed by a husband that played fantastic the mother role too and by the people I had around me that offered me the peace to be able to continue my business life.

All I really wanted was to educate my son and later also my daughter while running a business. I had to look into ways that I could be happy by doing what I like and not lose the focus on my family.

I don't really have a secret but I certainly learned much by my experience about how it can be possible by making sure that there is no work in between you and your family when it comes their turn.

I have set rules that work.

- we always have dinner together , so even if I and my husband get home late every night the kids wait for us, so this is our moment of talking about our days and share experiences.

- we never talk about work at home - specially because we work together.

- I leave my problems at the door step and put a smile for my kids , no matter how important my problems are.

- I cook with them on saturdays.

- we make family programmes a constant happening

- we tell how much we love each other every day

- we do not hide problems that can somehow affect our family.

- we certainly talk much

- I make sure that my kids understand that we are their parents and not their best friends , so we give them privacy and trust.

Now , I have another small baby and although my life is not easy and I am away much, I feel that my time with them is really «prime time».

I found this magnificent book that with real daily experiences, taught me so much about loving and educating.

CIDADE MARAVILHOSA... Rio de Janeiro

Back at the «one and only» city of Rio.
As most say, Rio could be the perfect city to end up your days.
What I most admire on the brazilian way of living is by far the perfect positive atittude towards life.
I cannot imagine any other culture that so happily accept the great bounderies of every day life, where beauty is so subjective , where life is good and bad at the same time, where the sea breeze contrasts with the heat of the closed favelas.

They can always have a smile despite and see what good can come from probation moments and this always reminds me the books from little POLLYANNA , where she shows youngsters to always see the good side of things.

They certainly live life intensively with samba, sun, beach, family and friends.

While in Rio, we took a day to revisite the magnificent Jardim Botanico do Rio de Janeiro which was founded on June 13, 1808 by Dom João VI, who then was prince regent of the United Kingdom if Brazil and Portugal.It is one of the great tropical botanical gardens of the world.

Here an image of the orchidary featuring over 200 different qualities of Orchieds from all over the world.

This is a rare flower called «Bastão do Imperador» and this is the picture of the last one flowering this season.

The weather is fantastic all year round and it is a very easy going place, but if shorts and hawainanas were the perfect outfit, not anymore after entrepreneur and symbol of brasilian sophistication Rogério Fasano invited Philippe Starck to create this sea front wonder - Hotel Fasano in Avenida Vieira Souto - Ipanema.
This quickly became the place to be. Inside a great seafood restaurant called:

FASANO AO MARE (3202-4000)yet another on the list of Brazil's best restaurants.

Another certain choice is the well known:

GERO (2239-8158) owened also by Rogério Fasano and again set in the heart of Ipanema , it is a great place to be seen. The italian ispiration cuisine is well recommended.

ZUKA (3205-7154) is still my favorite place in Rio. Set in the trendy Leblon in the busy street of Dias Ferreira. This restaurant chef Ludmilla Soeiro , has certainly set a new aproach to modern cooking by using a rustic process of grill in charcoal to creat her sophisticated meals.
It has a perfect combination of location, atmosphere and food - my favorite is the Tuna steak with tagliatelle of palm and a sauce of milk of strong root.

UNFORGETTABLE PLACES TO STAY

LA MAISON with only 5 exclusive suites has stunning views of Corcovado Mountain as it towers above the whole town of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the perfect place for those who are seeking exclusiveness and exoticism.

LA SUITE Hotel only 7 rooms that can leave guests speechless with the spectacular 180° view of the shimmering turquoise waters of the Atlantic.

Go to www.kiwicollection.com

Bread Ham & Olive

250 grs of flour

150 grs of butter at room temperatura

6 eggs

4 soup spoons of milk

150 grs of cooked ham

100 grs of olives

150 grs of York ham

Pre-heat the over at 180º

Cut the olives, ham and the York in small pieces.

In a bowl , beat the egg yokes and the butter until pale yellow.

Add the olives and the cold meats. Mix and add the milk.

Beat the egg whites until stiff.

Add to the butter mixture , the egg whites and the flour, alternating, until well mixed.
Put the batter in a rectagular mold and bake it in the over for 45 mn.

My Garden in Arouca

It has been quite a warm Winter and last weekend felt really like Spring.I am blessed to have the chance of having a great weekend gateway where I usually go gardening and also cooking. It is only an hour way and I can have my organic treat. My kids love it too and for me it is like going back home since I was born there. Last weekend I went to pick up oranges and eggs and noticed how colorful my garden is. It is only early March and my Camellia tree is already holding all its Majesty.
The lemon tree are so full that it is bending and the oranges are sweet as honey. We have been drinking so much freshly squeezed juice.
My chicken are now giving us fresh eggs that my son runs to remove from their nest. It is incredible how yellow and fresh these are.
We really appreciate the silence and the air over there and I feel that I am over the clouds when I am there.

Hong Kong

Why is it that I have this fascination for the asian world? I love all the Orient but in fact HK is one of those cities that can be is so far and so close at the same time. There we can still feel the asian living mixed with great european contrasts.
From my favorites in HK, I always go back to AQUA based on the floor of a 50 store building, Aqua is located in Kowloon's new design fashion capital One Pecking Road.
AQUA ultra stylish interiores, stunning harbour and city viwes combines with a wonderful fusion of italian and japanese cuisine.

For me, still the to die for view in Hong Kong is from the bar of the Intercontinental overlooking the bay.

Banana Tatin

I bought this book in Rio de Janeiro and since have been trying some of the proposals from this As Doceiras de Carla Pernanbuco e Carolina Brandão

Here's the receipt of this fab tatin.

Pastry 1 and half cups of flour, 2/3 cup of sugar, 100grs of butter at room temperature,1/4 tea spoon of vanilla essence, cold water

Filling 2 cups of sugar , 1 cup water ,1 soup spoon of grated ginger, 1 tea spoon of Cinnamon, 10 bananas , ...

Caramel 3/4 cup sugar, 75grs butter

PASTRY In a bowl , place all ingredients , adding the water slowly until mixture is well blended and comes together without sticking to the sides of the bowl. Roll dough into a ball.

Place it in plastic film and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

FILLING in a pan melt the sugar. Add water, ginger, the cinnamon and bring to boil for at least 5mn. Add the banana and cook for another 7mn until these cook.

CARAMEL in a pan melt the sugar. Add the butter and whisk.Spread the caramel over a tray that should be previously lined with parchment paper.Let it cool and break into small caramel pieces.

Cover a small mold (15cms) with butter and put small pieces of caramel at the bottom. Place on top the banana (design a flower) and do not leave any space in between.

In a plain surface and covered with flour, place the pastry and open it until you get a thin layer. Cut circules of same size of mold and put it over the banana closing the tart. Make a hole to allow steam to come out. Take it to a pre-heated oven for 15 mn at 160º until pastry gets golden.

Remove form mold and serve with ice-cream.

Perfect cleanser

Do you know Eve Lom skincare products?

Eve Lom is one of the most respected beauty professionals alive today.

All the products evolved from this cult cleanser which Vogue called «probably the best cleanser in the world».

It removes make-up while decongesting, exfoliating and toning.

It comes with muslin cloth.

Shanghai

Last October I was in Shanghai again.
It is always a new experience to get around Asia, however Shanghai is more than a journey to the Orient. It is a journey to the future not losing sight of its past.

Here are some of my favorites.

• @Sichuan Fusion Restaurant "South Beauty" serves great Shanghanese food. It is absolutely worthwhile due to the attractiveness of the architecture and design. 881 Yan’An Road, by Shaanxi Road
• Di Shui Dong where you find authentic Hunan food at incredible prices. Favorite amongst locals.
• T8 Restaurant and Bar modern international cuisine right in Fuchun Resort
• Rooftop Dining on the Bund: Whether it's savoring world-class cuisine on the open-air balcony of M on the Bund, or enjoying a romantic dinner for two catered by world-renowned chefs in the cupola atop Three on the Bund, dining high above Asia's most famous street is a heady experience not to be missed.

My saturday Chocolate Cake Demi-Cuit

250 grs Bar of chocolate (preference Valrhona)
5 Eggs
8 Soup spoons of butter
8 Soup spoons of sugar
6 Soup spoons of baking flour
Salt

Pre-heat oven at 200º.
Break the chocolate in small pieces and put it in a sauce pan. On a larger pan put water and bring to boil.
Place the chocolate pan over the boiling water and whisk it until melting( Bain Marie).
Sift the butter, sugar , flour and salt.
Whisk well until you get an homogene paste.
Split the egg whites and put the yoks on the chocolate mix one by one.
Finally bring the egg whites to hard and add slowly at the mixture.

Grease a loaf pan and pour the batter.

Place it in oven for 30min as it should stay uncooked inside.