by ReginaS
Sunday, September 21, 2008
From 0 to Forever ... Kids are a lot of Fun
Hi everyone,
My name is Regina and I'm a Nanny of the most cute, smart little boy named Seb. Everyone knows that being a full time Nanny has its ups and downs. Its a wonder and joy to look after somebody else's child and love them as your own; being there for their first smile, hearing them babble desperately wanting to be heard, helping them with their first wobbly step. The ups and downs are constantly part of our lives, with the joy of discovering something new and the battle to be the teacher vs the student.
Maybe I am one of the lucky ones, my days with Seb are mostly the ups as he is too smart to start something that is not part of the “acceptable” nanny's rules. My bosses, I can say are the best because they truly believe that I take my job seriously. Their precious treasure was handed to me for part of each day to be loved and cared for. It is more difficult to educate new parents than the little ones but with patience we can expect the new parents tp accept the fact that without routine and discipline we cannot raise a champion.
I am not here to impose my beliefs but I think that my years of experience as a Baby Nurse and Nanny will qualify me to at least know a little bit about raising an infant and child. For safety reason “my family names” will not be spelled out in here but the rest is not fiction: I do have the job that some dream about and the following will tell you why.
Seb's mom and daddy are a very successful couple that try very hard not let their jobs interfere with the way their little prince gets raised. Daddy is the funny one and most of the time my ally in enforcing the rules. Mom is the one that travels a lot and because of this, every day and minute that she has with the baby she reassures him how much he is loved and important to her life. She doesn't say “no” to the baby, but is very understandable because she wants her time with him to be full bonding. I don't mind at all because with all her busy schedule and career she still manages to be an excellent chef spoiling us very much with delicious dishes from different nationalities. With her I learned to enjoy food from a different perspective.
My prince is a very good listener. He is polite with his peers and normally doesn't need to hear the rules more than once. However, with mom and daddy he still pushes a bit even knowing that he is not going to win all the time. He loves music, play dates and thank God is the best flirter kid ever. I do have a lot of fun with him and I think if I didn't stay after my Nurse period it would be very difficult. Today I enjoy every day and minute that I can with him and I am hoping that my influence on him will make a pretty good man one day.
I will start talking about routine and discipline because in my "book of raising a child" these are the most important rules that need to be reinforced all the time during early childhood.
Why Discipline and Routine is Very Important a child's Life
At 7:00 pm., here at this house, I try to start the nightly time routine with Seb. He already had his bath, he had a very well balanced fresh made dinner and is ready to spend some quality time with mom and daddy. Nowadays, we have pushed his bedtime an extra hour so that mom and daddy can have more time with him. Eight o'clock is the limit because his day starts early. Activities are planned early and except for a few times the scheculed plan is not changed. However, expectant events, like relatives' visit, may result in a skipped nap or meal. We need to make some adjustments when this happens. Try to prepare your child ahead of time for the change and reassure them that things will return to normal tomorrow. We cannot predict everything but we try to keep a routine that he can recognize every morning.
Bedtime is the one area where his routine is hardly excused. Started when he was a baby he knows that after parents time, teeth are brushed, goodnight is said and it is the beginning of quite time in his crib until he falls sleep. We have been doing the same thing everyday , and now it's automatic. This is usually the easiest time of the day. Keeping regular schedules provide the day with a consistency needed in young children who should not be surprised. This makes them feel more confidant and although predictability can be tedious for us, children thrive on repetition and routines that began from the first days of life. This will also set the relationship between parent and child, preparing them for different stages in life which will not always go smoothly. The road can be bumpy or rocky but discipline from the crib on will reassure him that everything will be alright. Every unexpected change in his routine in earlier years is returned to the normal in hours or days. A study conducted by Dr. Peter Gorski, assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, Massachusetts shows "Knowing what to expect from relationships and activities helps children become more confident."
Just a few websites worth visiting, about kids discipline, there is a lot of tips floating in the net that can be used to help you raise a champion.
http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/cgi-bin/extlink.pl?l=http://www.nncc.org/Guidance/effect.disc.html
http://www.howtodothings.com/family-relationships/how-to-discipline-your-child-without-spanking
http://www.parents.com/preschoolers/discipline/behavior/five-ways-to-improve-your-childs-behavior/?page=1
by ReginaS
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Traditional Brazilian Food Recipes
I am writing this blog not claiming to be a cuisine chef. I just want to share here some of my passions: my country and the Brazilian food.
When you first visit Brazil, you'll discover a stunning array of fresh fruits, seafood, steaks very well prepared and most important: high quality and cheap prices. In Brazil, there are quite large difference in cuisine between regions , meat and fish consumers will enjoy Brazilian grilled meat and seafood dishes in very different ways and despite sharp regional differences, however, one thing won't be different across the country, the joy in preparing and in eating a very diversify type of food that will make the tourists coming back over and over through the years.
The fruits are used in a million different ways from basic smoothies, desserts and special drinks that you'll get you hooked pretty fast. And talking about typical food, there is one main dish that typifies Brazilian cooking, it is Feijoada.
Feijoada is a very hard dish to make in small portions. It consists in bean and meat topped with a manioc flour sauce and it is considered one of our best reflection on our African heritage. Our Brazilian food goes beyond feijoada, but it is, without doubt, Africans' most significant contribution to the local cuisine. This is such a popular dish, that it's eaten at weekends in family and in restaurants as well.
Spices as Bay leaf, parsley, thyme and black pepper, which Americans commonly use, are the predominant flavorings in Brazilian cooking.
One of the basic ingredients in Afro-Brazilian cuisine, the “Dende Oil” or Palm Oil for Americans, adds a wonderful flavor to a lot of typical foods and brings a bright orange color into it I will try to add in here as many as possible the recipes from different regions of Brazil.. From the style of food that had its origins to the centuries-old campfire roasts of the gauchos from the Pampas region of southern Brazil called Rio Grande do Sul, to the top north of Amazonas, with the delicious ducks recipes. Today, many Americans knows “Churrasco” that are spread throughout the world as one of the favorite from meat lovers and “Vatapa” for the seafood experts.
An everyday typical Brazilian meal may consist of a meat dish, served with rice, beans or salad. The dessert is a plus and the “spirits” you cannot miss and that's why I will start with the most typical aperitif in Brazil from North to South: the CAIPIRINHA.
CAIPIRINHA
INGREDIENTS:
1 Lime
2 ounces of cachaça (typical Brazilian Rum now largely sold in USA)
Sugar to taste
Ice cubes
Method of Preparation:
Wash the lime and keep rolling it on a board to loosen the juices. Cut the lime into pieces and place them in a glass. Sprinkle with the sugar
and crush the pieces (pulp side up) with a wood pestle (*) just enough to release the juice, otherwise it’ll get bitter. Add the cachaça and stir to mix.
(*) In Brazil we have an special club-shaped pestle and mortar, made from wood, specially to use in the making of the Caipirinha.
NOW THE FAMOUS FEIJOADA
As I mentioned before, FEIJOADA is a typical afro-brazilian dish that make people, mostly on Saturdays, get together with a lot of friends, drinking some Caipirinha, listening to Pagode (typical brazilian music), and don't leave until the big feijoada pan is empty and there is no more Beer or lemon for the caipirinha. Of course, some of the original ingredients we cannot find in USA but we can go around and still make the most delicious plate that will not be left behind from the original Brazilian dish.
Recipe:
8 cups dried black beans
3 pounds carne seca (Brazilian salted cured beef)
2 pounds of pork chops
2 pounds sweet sausage
2 pounds baby back spareribs
2 bay leaves
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
Soak the beans in a large bowl with water to cover from a night before. Also, in a separated bowl, soak the carne seca in water, changing the water until most of the salt is off.
In the morning, drain the beans and take a extra large pot adding water to cover by at least 3 inches. Bring the beans to a boil in medium heat.
Separately, cut the carne seca into small pieces and do the same with the sweet sausage also cutting the ribs into small sections on 2 pieces. Now add all the meat (carne seca, sausage, ribs and 2 bay leaves to the beans. Simmer for about 2 hours or until soft and creamy. Keep adding water as necessary to keep beans covered.
Using a skillet over a medium to high heat, add the chopped garlic and onion until turns golden brown. Blend or mash one cup of the cooked beans and add to the skillet. Let simmer for a few minutes and transfer back to the pot. This is the little secret that brings the flavor of the seasonings and will thicken the beans' juice. Continue to keep the beans on low heat for another, always remembering to check and add water to not let the beans stick at the bottom of the pot and cook to a creamy consistency.
The dish will be done when the beans looks like a juice stew. Feijoada is served hot and when the beans get to thick just keeping adding water to await the later guests. It will be a success. The Feijoada is served with white rice. The tradition guarantees that if you eat pieces of orange with Feijoada, you can eat over and over and won't be heavy on your stomach or cause any disturbance normally provoked by beans. To be complete the dish is not complete if you don't have (couve) and (farofa) on the side. Hot pepper is a must, if you can take it. Look below some tips on how to make the garnishes.
Garnish for feijoada:
Slices from 6 oranges: using a sharp knife, peel the oranges, cut into thin slices and arrange them on a platter.
White rice: cook according to package instructions
Farofa or Toasted Manioc Flour
To make a simple recipe you need a pack of toasted manioc (Goya brand at every supermarket) To make more sophisticated you can add besides the eggs and sausage, some pieces of apple, raisens or whatever you want to add depending of your taste in sweet versus salt.
In a skillet bring 4 tablespoons of butter or olive oil, chopped onions and let golden. Bring a scrambled egg, salt to taste, small pieces of sausage and let fry a bit. Add 3 cups of manioc flour, over a low heat always stirring until golden. Serve in a separated bowl.
Brazilian Style Collard Greens or Couve for Brazilians
4 to 5 bunches of collard greens (or kale)
butter (use 1/2 tablespoon for every cup of cut collards)
Wash the collard greens. Remove the stems and roll the leaves tightly together. Slice into very thin strips with a sharp knife. Just before serving, melt the butter and add collard greens. Cook over high heat stirring constantly until collard greens just start to wilt. Sprinkle with salt and serve.
Brazilian Molho a Campanha (Hot Sauce)
Basic recipe for molho à campanha:
1 large onion, minced
2 medium-size firm, ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 small green bell pepper, cored, seeded and minced
¼ cup vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste
Mix all ingredients. Add water if the vinegar taste is too strong. Just before serving add ½ cup of feijoada liquid and 1 or 2 finely chopped jalopeno peppers. Let sit for an hour before serving.
Enjoy it! Next recipe will be a vegetarian dish specially for my friend Frank.
BAKED EGGPLANT WITH GINGER YOGURT SAUCE
This vegetarian recipe is low in saturated fat and high in fibre, which helps to lower blood cholesterol
Ingredients
1 medium EGGPLANT
2 tsp olive oil
juice 1 and zest ½ lemon
100g couscous
300ml vegetable stock
85g ready-to-eat dried apricots roughly chopped (OPTIONAL)
4 sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
3 white onions, finely sliced
25g pine nuts , toasted
pinch ground cinnamon (OPTIONAL)
For the dressing
4 tbsp Greek-style natural yogurt
2 tsp lemon juice
1 large garlic clove, crushed
small knob ginger , finely chopped
small handful coriander , roughly chopped
HOW TO PREPARE:
Pre-heat oven to 350. Leaving the stem on, cut the eggplant in half lengthways and score the flesh deeply with a sharp knife in a criss-cross fashion. Place in a shallow baking dish. Mix the olive oil and lemon juice then brush over the scored surface of the eggplant. Season with freshly ground black pepper and bake uncovered for 25-30 mins, until is tender.
Meanwhile, put the couscous in a large bowl, pour over the boiling stock and leave to soak for 10 mins until all the stock is absorbed. Fluff up with a fork, then stir the apricots, tomatoes, spring onions and pine nuts into the couscous. Sprinkle with the cinnamon and toss well together.
Remove the eggplant from the oven and scoop out the flesh, taking care to keep the skins intact. Chop the flesh and toss into the couscous mixture. Place the eggplant skins back in the baking dish and spoon the couscous mix into them, piling it up to hold a generous amount in each. Scatter any left over couscous mix around the edge of the dish.
Return to the oven for 10 mins to heat through while you mix all the dressing ingredients together - add a drop of water if the dressing is too thick. To serve, heap the loose couscous mix under the stuffed eggplant so they're propped up on a slant. Drizzle over dressing and serve with mixed leaf salad.
Brazilians eat light Veggies too ...
I'll be back soon.
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