Recipe Hunting..

Thanks to D's Designs.. :)

I got an email from an old high school friend last week.  It was one of those "chain" recipe exchange emails, where you list two people's email address, and you send a favorite recipe to the person on the top of the list, and then the 10 people you send your email to, is supposed to put your name on the top, and by the end you end up with 38 recipes or something like that..  Well, I've yet to receive one fricken recipe so far..  I emailed my friend, Samantha, and she has received 10 so far...  OH well, at least the friends I sent emails came through...

It would be nice to try a new recipe now and then..  Sometimes it helps to spice up my kitchen menu..  Sometimes I'll ask my kids what they want for dinner.  "Something." is their reply.  Then I recite a list of various dishes I can prepare for them.  "No, I don't want that...make something else.."  I wish I had a recipe for "Something."  Does anyone out there have this special recipe?  If you do, may I borrow it?

Earlier this morning, a co-worker whom I have known since middle school came up to me with a pastry a family friend had made.  This family friend happens to be Portuguese as well, and this co-worker was curious if I knew of the recipe.  I had never seen a pastry quite like it, so it was taken to my other Portuguese co-worker in crime, Maria to see if she knew of it.  She didn't either.  So with nothing better to do, I went on a search for this particular recipe online, but with no success.  During my search however, I did find some interesting recipes...here are a few.. 

Portuguese Biscotti

Ingredients:  1 cup of Sugar, 1/2 cup of Butter, 1 tbl of Lemon Zest, 1/4 cup of Lemon Juice, 3 Eggs, 3 cups of Flour

In large bowl of an electric mixer, beat 1 cup of sugar and butter until well blended.  Add lemon peel and juice; mix to blend. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until smooth.  Gradually stir in 3 cups of the flour, mixing well.  Cover and chill until dough is firm enough to handle easily, at least 3 hours or as long as 2days. For easier handling, chill the dough before you form the ring-shaped cookies.  Divide dough in half.  Cover and chill 1 portion.  Divide other half into 8 equal pieces.  With floured fingers, roll each piece on a lightly floured board to make a 10 inch rope.  Overlap ends of each rope slightly to form a ring.  Place rings about 1 inch apart on a greased 14x17 inch baking sheet.  Sprinkle light with sugar.  Bake in a 300 F oven until golden, 35-40 minutes.  Remove cookies from pans and let cool completely on racks.  Repeat with remaining dough.  Serve or store airtight up to 10 days. 

Portuguese Orange Cake

Ingredients:  2 cups of Sugar, 6 large Eggs, 2 1/4 cup of Flour, 2 tsp Baking Powder, 1/2 cup Milk, 1/4 cup Orange Rind grated, Cinnamon, Powdered Sugar

Melt butter in microwave for 50 seconds on high.  Beat sugar and eggs until smooth about 1 1/2 minutes.  Blend in melted butter.

Sift together flour and baking powder.  Add flour mixture alternately with milk to the egg mixture.  Stir in grated orange rind.

Bake in greased bundt pan at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool and sprinkle with cinnamon or confectioners sugar.

Delicious with strawberries in Port Wine sauce.  (Hmmm..)

Bon Apetit!