Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

hum... as a Brazilian, it shamed me that I had never attempted to make these... of course I avoided it not because it's difficult, but because of the potential damage to my waist line.

It is common to use unsweetened cocoa for a more adult version of the treat. Made with Nesquick (which in Brazil is a strawberry flavored powder), these are called Bicho de Pé, and with coconut, Beijinho.

My mother always adds 1 can of milk cream to the mix, for a creamier result... Made this way, its an AWESOME cake filling or topping, and perfect to eat with a spoon.

About the cook until unsticks part of the recipe, I also thought it vague until I made them for the first time. Its pretty obvious when you're making them: Basically, after scrapping off the walls of the pot for some time, the mix starts to cling more to the spoon than to the pan. It also becomes heavier and thick, much like porridge.

There are plenty of different gourmet versions to sell here, rolled in different toppings or sold in little clear plastic cups with a tiny spoon (called Brigadeiro de Colher). This can even be made in a microwave. The sky is the limit!

have you gotten tested? I had gastritis for years, and after finally getting rid of it, thought it was coming back. It wasn't. I'm developed a milk allergy, not a lactose intolerance. And i adore cheese. In all its forms. My breakfast used to be yogurt, my salads all had dairy, my pasta was rich in milk cream. I have since started experimenting with tofu and soy based cream. I miss lattes the most... but soy milk makes me sick too.

If you can't have dairy, asian is the way to go, imho!

the movies ain't the movies for me without gummy bears and jelly beans. With the price the movie theaters charge for a ticket in Brazil, i don't feel bad at all sneaking stuff in. I like taking in sour candy as well, and chocolates. Chocolate covered raisins are also nice, as are the colored mentos and chewing gum... see, even though i bring massive amounts of candy it barely makes it to the middle of the movie... And although i don't really like popcorn, i have a soft spot for the pink prepopped stuff... I just never find it.

The one thing i buy from concession stands are ice tea. Lots!

oh... and chicken hearts and giblets. :D

I must admit I'm guilty of loving jell-o. The low calorie variety too... I sometimes make my own agar-agar bites, trying to replicate the ones I buy at a Japanese candy store... I just never try to serve it to anyone. Feels wrong.

As for bad experiences, my mother is a decent cook, and although she makes the worst eggplant and okra ever (took me years living out of the house to discover how delicious such things are) and my fathers barbecue is awful (he's American. Sorry, but it will never compare to the Brazilian stuff), holidays hold memories of great eating. My ex's family were great cooks, and she would take over the barbecue when she visited mine and my SO's mother, albeit disliking me and not allowing me near her house, sometimes sends over some great cakes.

Wait... my mother is guilty of my teen years birthday cakes. They were ok and I remember them dearly, but also were very very lazy. Ok, she had four kids, worked and finished high school when i was 14. But still... Store bought sponge cake, layered with boxed pudding and canned figs. Gotta hand it to her for making the best mango ice cream in the world, though.

The worst experience I've had was not connected to flavor. I stopped eating red meat and pork between 13 and 23. To this day, anything pork that has not been processed (like sausages or cold-cuts) makes me sick. Very sick. So when I went to visit my ex's cousins on a Sunday for a barbecue, I expected to find at least a salad to nibble on. Nothing. Just pork and beer. The smell was great, and I was hungry. It tasted good too... It almost killed me. Way to lose 14 kg in 10 days.

love: fresh brewed coffee, bread, cookies in the oven, french toast and curry.

argh!: fridge smell... you know what i'm talking about! And beans being cooked in a pressure cooker. Makes my stomach turn.

konnyaku!

i rather have them pickled, thank you very much.

ah caipirinhas... The regular type (lime, sugar and cachaca) was looked down to until a few years ago as a tourists/poor taste drink... until premium cachacas like sagatiba came up. Ooohhh... the stronger types do make one feel like they were hit by a train in the morning.

Usually a pestle is used to muddle the lime and sugar together. There are many other versions that are more popular: Caipiroska - made with vodka instead, and Saqueritas - Made with sake... or shochu if one wants a bit more punch... As far as fruits go, I've seen them made with everything - from passion fruit and lime, pineapple and strawberries, to kiwi fruit and lychees.

maybe the farmers do taste better than what they sell, though.

i love whole rice cakes with beet greens! Delish!

thank goodness for grape fanta in the south of the equator. i S2 grape jell-o.

watermelon. Even better if filled with vodka and frozen whole. Yum!

ok, i have to admit loving frozen cheese bread, but i only discovered the joys of this one on a night when baking for 20 minutes seemed like waaaay to long for my stomach.