makin' cuca

Okay, confession time. Rosetta Stone and I have not been as friendly with one another as we should be. I'm committed to change that, though!

But...that doesn't mean I've abandoned my love for Brazil :)

So, though I don't have any new words to share -- enjoy this recipe for Cuca, a delicious, delicious bread they eat in South Brazil! I had a lot of fun making it with Mom Rachel during our time there a couple of weeks ago.

Lesson learned: when you ask a Brazilian for a recipe, ask to make it together to avoid confusion when you read something like "one spoonful" or "enough milk to make it look shiny." Oh, and the other perk is spending time together. Mom Rachel got this recipe from "Grandma Nelda", one of the ladies from the church.

Cuca Bread (makes 3 loaves)

Ingredients
dough:
7-9 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 c. sugar
2 heaping tbsp melted butter or oil
2 eggs & 1 egg yolk (save the white, you'll use it later!)
2 tbsp. yeast
3-4 c. warm milk

crumb topping:
1 tbsp. sour cream
1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. sugar

Instructions
1) Combine dry dough ingredients in a large bowl. Add in warm milk, mixing together until dough becomes smooth with pockets of air forming (It sounds confusing... there's a picture below!). Dough will not be firm. I like to think of it as somewhere between banana bread batter and biscuit dough.

2) Let rise until doubled in size. Grease bread pans.

3) Pour dough into pans and set aside let rise again. In small bowl mix a little water with the egg white and beat with a fork to make a light foam.
4) Preheat oven to 350F
5) Make cuts in the top of the bread to add desired toppings. Add toppings.
You can do this during step three when the dough is rising so that some of the topping sinks to the middle. Next time I'm going to see how it works to put the filling in the middle (pouring 1/2 the batter at a time into the pan. 

top: guava filling, middle: crumb topping,
bottom: strawberry & chocolate filling

6) Brush top of bread/topping of your choice with egg white foam. Sprinkle crumb mixture over top. 

7) Bake at 350F until "done" (another fun Brazilian thing! no cook times, and I forgot to watch the clock!). It should be golden brown and firm to the touch when "done".

8) Enjoy with coffee or tea. Or, slice a piece, spread a little butter on top and heat it up in a pan for a yummy breakfast treat. 

a gosto de Deus...

Back when Mark and I were just dating, he told me a funny story about a gosto and Agosto. In Brazil, they use the saying, "a gosto de Deus..." or "to God's liking." It also sounds like the month of August. So, if you're clever or like word-plays, when someone asks you a question of timing you can respond a gosto and leave them guessing.

...And that, is my introduction explaining the lack of posts here on the Portuguese blog. I was a gosto-ing it. Or, was I Agosto-ing it...

The end of July did get away from me, though. Instead of spending time with Rosetta Stone, I spent the time celebrating 3 years of marriage with my love! We had a great weekend away. We even saw some Brazilian animals at the zoo! It was fun to see capybaras, a toucan, and macaws (but, it was more fun to see them in the zoo we visited for our last anniversary--in Brazil!) So, even though I wasn't studying, I was enjoying Brazilian things :)

August will be another crazy month, so I'll leave you with a picture of my last study session. Here's to September when I can study again!

I've been using Mom Rachel's books from Brazil. They even smell like Brazil!
 I am looking forward to visiting this October! 

pronunciation problems

J (to M): How do you say "what"? 

M: o que

J: No, like "What's your name?"

M: Qual

J: That's hard

M: No it's not. Just try to say "quail" with a mouth full of marshmallows. Qual

J: Qual. Hey! It works! Qual e seu nome?

Thanks, Rosetta Stone. I can now learn someone's name! 

grande amor e gatos e peixes

Oi!

This is where I will share stories about my endeavors learning a new, new language!
I'll try to post something I've learned each Tuesday :)

But, just for fun:
Yesterday I made a new sentence on my own. Mark and I were surprised...

Jess: Eu tenho grande amor por voce!
Mark: Whoa! Where'd you learn that??
Jess: Eu made it up. Was it right?
Mark: Yeah!

So, now my sentences include love for my husband and cats looking at fish. That's what I call progress!