White Beans Tart - Childhood Memories #12

 
When I was little longed for my mother to go to the grocery store in the neighborhood to do the weekly shopping to be able to delight myself with the miniature "pastéis de feijão" [white beans sweet cakes], one of my favorites,  that the shop owner always had on display always in shop window. This week I felt like having one of those little wonders and I ventured to do it in a XL version, the size of my appetite and I assure you that I just didn't  devour it all by myself, because what I really like is to share what is good with those I love!

 Ingredients:

• 1 puff pastry sheet
• 400g of cooked white beans
• 300g sugar
• 5 eggs
• 80g flour
• 80g melted butter
• 80g grated coconut
• 1/2 tablespoon (coffee) ground cinnamon

Put the puff pastry shet in a removable bottom old and poke up the bottom with a fork and keep it in the fridge.If the beans are already cooked, smash them into a pure. Then pour the puree to a bowl, join the sugar, eggs, flour, melted butter, grated coconut and cinnamon. Then whisk all very well until you get a homogeneous mixture. Take it to a preheated oven at 180 ° C until golden brown and set.

Quando eu era pequena ansiava pelas idas da minha mãe à mercearia do bairro para fazer as compras da semana para poder deliciar-me com os pequenos bolos de feijão, uns dos meus preferidos desde sempre, que a dona da loja tinha sempre disponíveis na montra de vidro antiga. Esta semana apeteceu-me uma dessas pequenas maravilhas e aventurei-me a fazê-la em versão XL, o tamanho do meu apetite e garanto-vos que só não a devorei toda sozinha, porque o que eu gosto mesmo é de partilhar o que é bom com as pessoas que adoro!

Ingredientes:

• 1 folha de massa folhada
• 400g de feijão branco cozido (usei de frasco)
• 300g de açúcar
• 5 ovos
• 80g de farinha
• 80g de margarina derretida
• 80g de coco ralado
• 1/2 colher (café) de canela em pó

Forra-se uma tarteira de fundo amovível com a massa folhada e pica-se o fundo com um garfo e reserva-se no frigorifico.Tritura-se o feijão branco cozido até ficar em puré. De seguida deita-se o puré para uma taça, junta-se o açúcar, os ovos , a farinha, a manteiga derretida, o coco ralado e a canela. Depois bate-se tudo muito bem até ficar uma mistura homogénea. Leva-se ao forno pré aquecido   a 180ºC até dourar e solidificar. 

February Beauty Buys

Winter is often pretty hard on my hands. By early February they had turned red, chapped, and rough either due to the humidity and cold in the air or to indoor heating and constant unprotected   dive into several kinds of house cleaning products without wearing gloves. This past month I've discovered a skin saviour product for harsh winters, a beautiful nailpolish that looks sophisticated and sexy and a little extra to make my eyes look very doll-like. I hope you enjoy it!

1.This is a really great, I mean the best,  hand cream I've ever tried on. The packaging quality is super great, the cream is opaque white,  thick but lightweight and I always carry this with me in my purse. This massages and absorbs easily and  pretty quickly without leaving me feeling greasy and has done a lot for my winter dry hands. I put it at night, sleep with it on and in the morning my hands feels supple, soft and fully restored.

2. Essie's Chocolate Cakes is a brownish slightly red vampy. This mani is 3 coats and it does require a careful hand while applying, as it has a bit of a tendency to streak; nevertheless I think that perhaps two coats would have been enough.  I love this colour even more under the sun. The finish is very rich and shiney. Great for a short nail, fall/winter manicure, or a sexy pedicure.

3. I couldn't believe the volume and length a quick swipe of the wand gave my lashes. Do it twice or three times and the eyes really popped. The petite wand/brush on this mascara does a great job of defining and emphasizing the lashes. This mascara keeps my lashes super dark, lifted and curled all day and looks beautiful.

Kitten Heels

Let's start this first Monday of March with a flashback to my teenage years where these type of  heels would make my day like no other trend! Kitten Heels [kitten was actually 1950s slang for a young and inexperienced girl] were actually my "trainer heel" to wearing higher heels later on and it seems like sort of a comeback of this trend is going on. These modern-day version of kitten heels [leather pairs in neutral tones, earthy tones, light pink hues or shades like grey/black for a more minimalist style or bolder colours for a statement one] can make for a chic, polished, cool look besides being comfortable and glam. Though sometimes I get mixed feelings about them [I wore these during the late 80's, not such a cool decade for fashion, right?!], I often tend to love the kind of  sexy French-actress' allure they convey and the timeless chicness they exude if wrn with the right ensemble[which was not the case back then]. What about you? Do you feel this trend to be too retro or a la mode?

This Too Shall Pass