Shortly after my engagement, my brother helpfully gifted me with a Brazilian cookbook, The Brazilian Table by Yara Roberts.

I read through the book cover to cover and found the pictures to be beautiful, not just of the food but also of the country. The author breaks down the recipes into regions like Minas Gerais (my husband’s home state), Bahia (lots of coconut milk and dende oil), and Amazonia(very interesting fish recipes). She even has a section on recipes from the Royal Court, when the Portuguese royals moved to Rio de Janeiro. She discusses each regions cultural and historical heritage that led to the regions unique cuisine. I really enjoyed reading those sections.

When I asked my husband where I should start, he helpfully said page one. Only after I began asking him about specific dishes did he become more interested. He had memories that he shared about some dishes and blanks about others. He wanted me to try a few. I never did because I found it hard to get into. She recommends certain pairings of her entrees and sides, which is very helpful. However, some recipes included ingredients that were impossible to find in Orlando, even though she does provide an internet resource guide, for the truly determined. Other recipes just weren’t inspiring, like Tereza’s BoBo. I loved the name, but its a fish stew that uses the heads and other stuff from the fish to make the stock. Not for the faint at heart or novice chefs like myself. The desserts looked amazing, so of course I drooled on those photos.

Now that I live in Brazil, I have repurchased the cookbook on my Kindle, figuring that even though it was an interesting read, this time I might actually make a recipe. I did reread the cookbook, cover to cover. I bookmarked various recipes. And I have yet to make a single one, mostly because I haven’t taken the time to plan out a menu and make a shopping list. On the other hand, I now get the logic behind the pairings, and the ingredients are easier to find. Yara offers several variations on the traditional Farafa that I’ve mentioned before. She also has a couple unique versions of rice, and her use of fresh ingredients is great! Just remember the Brazilian meal is meat, rice, beans, and a side or two, and mix and match her recipes and you should be able to see how it all goes together. My biggest surprise my second time through is she didn’t include many bean recipes and it is one of the staples of Brazilian cuisine. I searched and the word “bean” is only used 16 times. Fun things you can do with Kindles!

Overall, this book is beautifully done with great images and historical information. She provides recipes that are authentic in my husband’s experience and her personal stories are enjoyable. I would recommend this if you are interested in learning more about Brazilian culture and cuisine and want a collection of recipes that are more structured and professional compared to my “homestyle” recipes (more are coming soon, I promise!). It was a great read and I’m glad my brother hunted it down. I would say this is the best Cookbook on the market that focuses exclusively on the flavors of Brazil.

Well I finally have internet again. It took 3 weeks but I’m back. Why you ask? Because of a stupid soccer I mean “football” game! Here in Brazil it is very common to hear several things during a match: yelling, slamming of objects, and fireworks. So on Sunday three weeks ago, when this started up during the Botafogo match we didn’t think anything of it. Then the power started flickering before it went out. Things then got really loud and doors began slamming. We thought it was because the TV cut out during the match. My husband opened the door to make a snarky comment (also very common among neighbors who favor different teams) when all hell broke loose.

M ran back through the door grabbed my son and I while yelling, “Fire!” It took a few seconds for the word and the smell to register. Either way it was a scary series of moments that I don’t entirely remember. I do remember running through black nasty smoke illuminated only by the fire. Several flights of stairs, seeing flames, and a bicycle. Yes, the bicycle hangs near the stairwell a few flights down and the fire was right next to it and we had to run by both to get out. Our building’s stairwell happens to have a open space that runs the height of the building next to it, where all the electric, phone, and internet wires run. Unfortunate planning on someone’s part because in the case of electrical fires, the stairway can because impassible, as it did.

Shortly after we hit the sidewalk my brain kicked in. M, Akylis and I were on the sidewalk, partially dressed and barefoot looking at our building with nothing else. Thereafter one of our neighbors was trying to exit via her window on the 4th floor. She hadn’t realized it in time. There was maybe 5 minutes between the time we reached the sidewalk and her yelling out her window that the fire was blocking the stairwell. Once my brain warmed up I also realized I didn’t have my passport, or anything for Akylis. It took the fire department another 15 minutes to arrive.

The people inside the building and some who reentered with fire extinguishers managed to get the fire under control before they arrived due to its localized nature in the cable space. As best they can tell, a firework from a soccer fan managed to fall down the space for the wires and catch something on fire. From there the electrical bits took over and made a foul smelling electrical fire. The smell still lingers around places where they are still repairing the building and soot is stirred up. And the elevator doesn’t work so we are hiking up the stairs daily!

We stayed on the street for several hours until the inspector said it was okay to reenter. Then we collected a few things and went to my SIL’s for a 3 days. It took another 4 for the water to be completely turned on. Our building has the water tanks but to refill them, they use a pump, which was damaged in the fire. I was allowed water rations because of Akylis. They turned the water on at certain times for the rest.

Now I keep all my important papers and passport near the front door with the intention that I will be able to grab it in the future. I also keep empty soda bottles full of water under the sink and Akylis’ diaper bag is always packed and by the front door. I have visceral reactions to the smell of burning whether its the incense our new neighbor burns (yes the woman who got trapped on her floor moved out within days), cigarette smoke, or even burning food. M said he reacts in a similar fashion.  Who knows when that will pass. We also inquired if the building was going to install fire alarms since there are none and with the screaming of Fogo during a Botafogo match, people didn’t really respond to the emergency the way they would have if there were alarms. Surprise surprise, the building’s manager just shrugged and said this is the first fire in 20 years so why bother? (GASP!) Luckily with all the repairs (and the fines levied by the city for the discovery of code violations) our building will be alot safer compared to many of the buildings in our neighborhood. I was shocked but most of the people are staying and have a similar attitude as if its a rare occurrence so why waste the money. A very Brazilian attitude apparently.

The silver lining? I now know exactly what I would grab in case of emergency and so does my husband. We grabbed our son and each other, that was all. Well I should say he grabbed me and Akylis. Either way, we left behind all the electronics and “things” and left the door unlocked and the keys behind. Not surprisingly my camera mysteriously disappeared in the hours between our exit and our return. Not a big loss. We are going to get another one soon and then I’ll take some pictures of the charred wall two doors down from our apartment, if they haven’t repainted (which given the attitude towards cosmetics or practicality vs budget I’m guessing the scorch marks are going to be there a few more weeks. At least the Brazilians have their priorities straight: family and neighbors first, then living, then luxuries. I was really amazed how many men went back to help those on the upper floors and the neighbors from other buildings that came to gawk but also brought water and even clothes for a lady who was almost naked and a blanket for Akylis. It is winter here and I was extremely grateful.

We rolled out of bed this morning at 4 a.m. so we could get to the Brazilian Immigration Office before 7 a.m. and I could finish my permanent visa application. We left with only one cup of coffee a piece to be at the bus stop to catch the local 315 to the Linha Amerelo terminal.

We easily made the 5:30 a.m. bus to the International Airport where the office is conveniently located. Since we were beating rush hour (which they call the “hour of the pig”) this journey took a little over an hour. We got to see sunrise over one of Rio’s beautiful lakes. This was through the window of the moving bus, without flash.

A beautiful winter sunrise in Rio. If you look carefully, that grey line in the center of the horizon is the bridge they filmed one of the Fast and Furious chase scenes. Oh, that movie is so unrealistic. There are so many cars, buses, pedestrians, etc. on the roads during daylight hours those speedy cars would have had no room to maneuver, let alone with a huge vault tethered to their rears!

Anyway, we arrived before the office even opened and we were only fifth in line. We knew that we should be able to get it all done and maybe even get the Visa same day! Very exciting. Until, I looked in my purse and realized…I was missing Akylis’ translated birth certificate! His translated birth certificate is legal sized and didn’t fit into my letter sized plastic file folder organizer that holds all our important papers. In our rush to get out the door this morning, I didn’t pick up the big white envelope when I picked up the plastic organizer that sits on top.

Marcio and I were both upset. It is impossible to apply without the translated birth certificate because they don’t consider the US one valid (I had that one!). Sigh. So we packed Akylis back up in his Snugli and left before they even opened the doors.

Now because it was the “hour of the pig” the return trip took almost 2 hours. Marcio decided to at least go to work and get a half day since he is now going to have to take another day off next week to finish this before I overstay on my tourist visa. I will be prepping everything the night before and taping it to my chest so there is no reason all the papers won’t arrive at the office even if I’m sleep walking! On the plus side, I’ll look pregnant and get priority seating on the bus =)

Akylis, poor cranky off-schedule boy, is napping and I’m feeling like a heavily caffeinated moron! I had 4-5 cups of coffee when I got home, and even though I want to nap, I can’t! And it’s only 1 o’clock! I wonder what the second half of the day is going to bring…

I’ve just started learning about Montessori, and Anabel, who started this journey, also recommended the book Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three. This book really gives a concise overview of not only the activities they recommend but also the reasoning and research behind each one.

The book does include mention of the neat toys on the cover but also shares true stories of parents who made their own. That is why I would recommend this book to any new mom. Its not about just buying all the Montessori brand stuff, its about explaining what you as the parent should be doing (or not doing) to foster your child’s development and why its important.

The book includes a section on how to set-up a Montessori style nursery/home and why each element of that nursery is recommended by Maria Montessori. The one concept that really jumped out to me, is the “child bed.” It is a floor bed that the child sleeps in starting in Month 1. This book, while recommending cloth diapers, doesn’t recommend co-sleeping. The philosophy is about teaching the child to be capable, self-confident and independent so he/she does not expect mommy and daddy to solve his/her problems ever. This idea is the under-pining of the entire educational philosophy. The child bed encourages the infant to learn to get in and out of bed alone so that by month 4-6, when crawling begins, baby doesn’t need mommy to assist in going to bed. The sleepy infant just crawls over to the bed and gets in. I was dubious, I mean what child volunteers to sleep?

We’ve been using a pack-and-play portable crib for Akylis’ bed and around bedtime he cries and whines if I try to get him to sleep before he’s ready or if the moment has past he’s overtired and cranky. Same with naptime. We set up the child-bed earlier this week and began practicing with it. Today, for the first time, Akylis put himself into bed when he was ready for his first nap!

It was really amazing to see. Then, he rolled out of it and ended up on the floor. I was all set to put him back in the bed  but he sleepily rolled himself back into bed and went back to sleep!

I could not believe it! And yes I laughed, it was cute/funny. Now Montessori recommends using this set-up night and day, but I’m not comfortable with the night part. It does suck to be awakened by a cranky son who is fussing to get out of his crib every morning but I prefer that to an unsupervised baby wandering the house. Now the book has a set of solutions: make a baby safe bedroom and put a gate, like the ones for the top of the stairs, which allows the baby to wake up and play with the door open so mommy can hear the little one is up. Nice idea, but M and I have a little more work to do to get to that point. Our 2nd bedroom just opened up. Thank God, 3.5 months of house guests are now officially over! I went through and child-proofed it the next day and set-up the child bed. Akylis was watching me and banging on the a/c wall unit. They actually have open holes to the outside that are specifically for these units rather than installing them in the window spaces. Things were going fine until I thought “Wait, did that a/c unit just move?” I’m sure my husband thought I was worrying too much when I asked him to check the unit. Much to our dismay, it turned out I was right. The unit is not installed in the hole! It is just sitting on the ledge! Luckily its an antique beast that ways a ton, so Akylis barely moved it but can you imagine? We live on the 4th floor! We don’t plan on replacing the unit, but we are going to board up the hole so Akylis can use the room.

All in all, I would say the child bed is a success. That is 3 for 3 after the percussion instrument (aka salt shaker toy) and the puzzle ball! I am really impressed with how easily he transitioned to the bed. I’ve heard stories about getting a child to sleep in his/her own bed, and was expecting an entirely different scenario. Just amazing really!

After reading about Granola Moms, I decided to see how I measure up to the list of “granola mom” qualities.

1) Homebirth/natural birth: Yes or No? Check! I had a natural birth with no drugs in the Heart to Heart Birthcenter with my lovely midwives Rebecca and Lynn. It was a great experience, except for the first 60 hours of useless contractions while Akylis had his head stuck on my pelvis bone. With a little massage therapy (thanks Tina G!) he was moved around and then he was out in under 5 hours.

2) Breastfeeding: Yes or No? No. I wanted to breastfeed and I tried everything. Within 3 days of birth, my milk production was 15 mL total every 3 hours. Not enough for a newborn. He jaundiced. I spent hours with a lactation consultant, checking my latching, positioning, all of it. I pumped for over a month every 3 hours and took herbal rememdies. By the end of the therapy regimen my production was maxed around 30-50 mL total. It quickly dried up when I stopped the herbs and pumping. I use Born Free BPA bottles and the pediatrician recommended formula, so I did the best I could for my son. It really annoyed me how many moms would comment on my bottles while I was at the midwives for a check up or the chiropractor’s for an adjustment or even in the lactation consultant’s waiting room. It’s not like I had a choice, but they were very assertive about what I should try next. One even suggested some pretty severe synthetic drugs that would force my body to produce but I refused to go that far since the drugs would transfer through the milk.

3) Co-Sleeping: Yes or No? No, I was too afraid of suffocating him in the sheets or under a person. My husband is a restless sleeper. I secured him on my chest for the first two weeks, but I couldn’t sleep because I was so worried that I would roll over or he would move around and fall off.  He’s been a crib sleeper since then, but we keep him in our bedroom and position it so he can see us when he wakes up.

4) Cloth diapers: Yes or No? I tried them for a few weeks but ended up switching to disposables. I couldn’t keep up with the laundry and considering how much bleach I used to get the formula-poop stains out of the pre-folds, I wasn’t being “earth-friendly” anyway. Also I spent 3 months (Months 2-4) as a single mom while my husband was getting settled in Rio, it was just another thing I couldn’t keep up with.

5) Organic baby food: Yes or No? No. Organic isn’t a big thing here in Brazil. Fresh and local is very common, and he’s tasted that food. Boxed, and pre-made food is slowly gaining ground here, but it is not the standard, at least in my husband’s family and they’ve taught me how to make their food. I rarely make the American foods I used to because the ingredients are just not available or ridiculously expensive. Boxed cereal runs R$ 7-9 for small boxes with maybe 10 servings.

6) Experiential Learning: Yes or No? I am going to say yes, because we are starting Montessori which is experiential learning. Before I started reading about Montessori I wasn’t sure what I was doing other than making a safe loving environment for my son to play in. Some of what I did was instinct, some following tips and advice from others. For example, in Brazil it is considered imperative for children of all ages to have 1 hour of play outdoors daily. The schools assign it as homework for the families. With the numerous parks, beach walking paths and just walking everywhere, this has not been a problem. Interestingly, Montessori education strongly believes in the interaction with the “real world” and feels its more valuable than “artificial experience” such as television. Of course, Montessori education has many other points and teaching ideas that I haven’t tried so we are going to be working that in when its age appropriate.

7) Clothes or Naked? If we leave the house he is fully dressed with shoes. My husband is adamant about this. Culturally in Brazil, he feels that if we exit the house with stains on a shirt or no shoes people are going to look at us and think we aren’t taking good care of our son, or we are poor, or something. I don’t know how much of this is true, but my SIL and my MIL were equally adamant when we stayed in Ipatinga, so I am following the culture. At home he plays in his diaper a lot because it is very hot with no central a/c. Now in winter and no heater, he wears play outfits to keep warm on the tile floor. FYI carpet isn’t popular here and is considered “dirty.” We use floor rugs that are washable.

8) Cry it Out: Yes or No? No, I do not let him cry it out. I can’t listen to him crying and not do something. I love to cuddle with him. Maybe when he’s older and can communicate in other ways we can reevaluate this.

9) Circumcising: Yes or No? No. It is not a common practice in Brazil and when the pediatrician asked, my husband was horrified. I was very agreeable to avoiding an unnecessary surgery considering everything else the poor little guy was dealing with the first week.

10) Vaccines: Yes or No? In Brazil vaccines are not a choice, they are the law. Akylis has had all his shots.

So I am 4/10 granola mom and 6/10 modern momma. Obviously I don’t think this quiz is about how good or bad a mom is. Its just about parenting style. We just do what is best for us, and that includes my husband’s input. I remember when I was pregnant I was thinking in ideals and planning to be perfect, but in reality a family is more than just a mom and having my husband involved, even if he doesn’t do it “my way” or the way I read about or the traditional “American” way, is way more important than being the picture perfect family from a parenting book.

How do you score? What do you think of this quiz?

(Scoring: Questions 1-6, “yes” +1 granola mom, “no” +1 modern momma. Questions 7, “Naked” +1 granola mom, “Clothes” +1 modern momma. Questions 8-10 “No” +1 granola mom, “Yes” +1 modern momma.) These questions came from the quiz “How Crunchy are You?” only I removed the questions about my personal grooming like shaving, wearing make-up, because they aren’t dealing with parenting style, and the questions about multiple children, since they don’t apply to my family.

This weekend, I was in the grocery store and wandered down the kitchen tools, accessories, canisters, and other non-food items aisle. I was looking for toy inspiration for Akylis. I came across several items and spent less than R$10 for what I hope will be 3 new toys/activities. Here is the first one.

Musical percussion instruments were recommended by How we Montessori as part of one of her “discovery baskets.” I found a salt and pepper shaker set for R$ 1,60. The caps screw on tightly so I think they will work for awhile without needing to be glued. Once he starts developing fine motor skills, these are going to be superglued. Akylis’ couldn’t wait to get his hands on them!

I put unsalted roasted peanuts in the one and dried black beans in the other. The two make very different noises.

He seems to prefer the sound of the black beans. At one point he had one in each hand, but I didn’t manage to get that photo. If I had some cool big sequins or something else to add visual interest I would consider adding them in, but I don’t have anything on hand.

Total time: 10 minutes if you count shopping and filling. Total cost: R$2,00. Though I had peanuts and beans on hand, I’m adding R$ 0,40 for a handful or so of each.

I can’t believe it has been that long since June 14th! I also can’t believe what a challenge month 9 was. I can safely say that my “mother instincts” failed this month. Sure the first few months are tiring, but at least I knew what I was doing. Feeding, diapers, baths, etc. I knew all about what I needed to do even if I never changed a diaper in my life.

Look at his little precious face! He’s developing into a toddler and I was lost at what to do. So I googled it. Seriously, I googled how to play with a 9 month old infant. I had no idea what to do next. He played with his toys and was trying to walk, but I felt like I should be doing something. I found an article that said things about crawling and playing with light switches because they can now understand cause and effect. He didn’t care for the light switch game (yawn mom) and crawling was so 2 months ago. Anabel suggested I research Montessori.

Here’s Akylis with his homemade Montessori Puzzle Ball, which he enjoys. (Directions here) Alas, so many of the Montessori resources are for older kids. At his age, Akylis is supposed to play, so back to the original question, how do I play with my son? I know it sounds crazy, but he is moving beyond the tickle games, though not completely. He’s got clapping down. He likes music and trying to dance/wiggle. I feel like I’m just repeating the same things over and over again. And after reading up online, that’s all I should be doing. What a freaking relief! I hate some of these online moms. Okay, hate is too strong of a word, but dislike or maybe disgust? They are these stay at home moms who create custom games, art projects, and whatnot for their infants and seem to post daily on the new things they are doing. Where do they find the time? I mean really, creating new things, running to hardware and craft stores for supplies, etc. I’m a SAHM and I have trouble finding time to shower on top of house chores and my son. And finding sewing time requires a big assist from my husband.

I think the hardest part of being a mom is expectation. We have huge expectations of ourselves and with the internet there are all sorts of “rules” and “recommendations” about what we all should be doing to make little Einsteins who can play music, appreciate art, and speak 3 languages (really Baby Einstien CDs? Why counting in Japanese?).  Then we stress, are they making the milestones? I get annoyed when I feel like he’s missed a milestone (why won’t my child eat solid foods?) and its my fault he missed that mark. Like the pediatrician is going to give me a grade card! I also breath a sigh of relief when another mom posts a milestone on Facebook and I think, oh that baby is x amount older and Akylis already does that. Hurray, he’s advanced! I’m sure if I continue in this attitude my son is going to get a complex about overachieving just like my mom gave me. But I don’t want to not worry because then what? My son fails to develop? I mean right now when its bedtime we cuddle and I rock him to sleep. Ah ah, parenting articles say, we should be pulling out a book and reading him a story. He’s not talking yet, so what good is that going to do? Can’t we just relax and cuddle?

Clearly this is my struggle but I know I can’t be the only one. Otherwise the parenting book section would not be so big! Here’s what I know, I want to do well but I hate the precepts presented in the “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom.” That mom takes it too far. I also am not the Martha Stewart of Stay at Home Moms and I secretly believe even those supermom bloggers are not being entirely truthful on their blogs; that or they are like Angela Jolie who reportedly spends a million a year on staff/nannies/chefs/housekeepers/etc. I’m going to apply Buddhist principles to this problem. Step by step, middle way, calm breathing, and maybe a few Montessori ideas, but not a drastic overhaul of my life or my checkbook. Its about living, not keeping up with the supermoms! I’m sure my son will love me with my flaws and develop normally, and my family would prefer me not stressed out over ridiculous expectations. I almost wish I was a mom before the internet was created. Then I could be blissfully ignorant on a prairie somewhere. An overly romantic idealization, but damn you Al Gore anyway!

And just because, here is Akylis’ 9 month gallery. Check out those milestones!

In M’s family, Maracuja Mousse is a tradition. He made it this year for me and it was delicious! Here is his recipe.

Ingredients:

2 fresh Maracuja/Passion Fruit

2, 30g boxes of gelatin (plain or maracuja/passion fruit preferred but he used peach because the maracuja was sold out)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 boxes of cream (they are 290g each here)

hot water

Directions:

First juice the maracuja. Our blender has a filter attachment that I talked about here. Some people make it with the seeds, but M likes it with just the juice. There were a few black specks here and there but it was not distracting.

Heat water to dissolve gelatin. Then mix all the ingredients together and put in your dish. It should be warm and creamy and the maracuja flavor isn’t overpowering. Put into the refrigerator to set up. It will be a firm cut-able mousse.

Variations: some people make it without gelatin so that its creamier like pudding instead. Either way its delicious!

Easter Sunday started with M making Maracuja Mousse,  a tradition in his family. I’ll be posting the recipe once I get it, hopefully while the Maracuja are still in season! Its delicious!

Then we introduced Akylis to his Easter Egg.

He enjoyed it for a little bit, but he couldn’t get it open on his own. I think it was just too big for him to manipulate. M helped him open up the egg to get his toy, and it was a noise maker. Again, it was too complicated. He had to push a button and blow through a hole to get it to play music. Once we taped down the button, he was able to make all sorts of noise. Yeah!

Once he got into Daddy’s little “Akylis’ sized” chocolates with the shiny wrappers he enjoyed chocolate a lot more.

He is so adorable! As for other family traditions, M’s brother and cousins stopped in to visit and if we were in Ipatinga, his mom would have made salted cod. We did not do the fish because M is not really a fan. As for church, we were invited to an English service, but it was a different denomination. Maybe next year.

Ah, Friday, the first day of the Easter Weekend. Also it is a national Brazilian holiday, so M was home from work! He very nicely spoiled me by taking Akylis out to the beach at 8 a.m. when he was up and around so I got the sleep in. It was a nice start to the day. He spoils me like that when he can.

Then we realized the fridge was nearly empty so we strapped Akylis into the stroller and were off to Prezunic. The first weird moment of the day was noticing the fresh fish smell that was permeating the elevator. The second was the donkey in the road. He pulled out in front of use and by the time I got my camera out he was making decent time.

In the grocery store, a very modern style one, I was assaulted by Easter stuff!

Chocolate eggs in all brands and age appropriate packaging, including calcium enriched kids eggs and soccer themed eggs for men. These are the gift of choice apparently. There were at least 10 employees working just this section of the store. They were also rather pricey, costing R$50 for the premium brands. I’m sure at a specialty shop they would cost more.

There were also an assortment of cakes, in different shapes but similar flavors to the Christmas Panettone I blogged about before. M isn’t a fan of these cakes, but he picked one of the Frutas up so I can try it.

M picked a child’s theme egg for Akylis because I refuse to deprive my son of the fun aspects of Easter. M and I will definitely be sharing his egg this year but he’ll probably like the shiny wrapping more anyway. We also found great sales on steaks because everyone was hitting the fish counter. I was thrilled. Usually buying steaks means M is making dinner. On the way out of the store we hit the Mate cafe for a snack before walking the 30 minutes home with a cart full of groceries.

I got  strawberry/Mate (sweet tea) ice cream shake and Pao de Queijo (cheese bread) which were delicious. Crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. M had a Acai/Mate fruit juice shake and Akylis had formula and a taste of acai shake. (If you want to try Pao de Queijo in the US, markets like Bravo that carry Yoki brand products have a Pao de Queijo mix that you just add water and bake.) Once we rested we loaded all the groceries in the stroller filling it to the brim and took turns carrying Akylis. Poor boy was exhausted.

On the way home, M told me steaks were not on the menu. In fact meat was not a good idea on a day like today. I was surprised and then thought, “It’s a good thing I bought eggs!” I had no idea that he observed this part of the Easter tradition. I also discovered he had slipped in another box of eggs.

These are the tiny little codorna eggs. That’s right, 30 quail eggs. I have never had them before. I boiled them up like my husband instructed and tasted one. Yep, it tasted like a hard-boiled egg with a lower whites-yolk ratio. The whites are my favorite part! So I made him Brazilian egg salad.

I’m naming it Easter Egg Salad! It is just cut tomatoes, butter crunch lettuce, quail eggs, vinaigrette and mayonnaise on the bottom. Very fun but I was still disappointed in the flavor after the shells looked so exciting. I  wish I could break out the steak, and M said I could, but really would any loving wife cook steaks while her husband is fasting from meat? No! We’ll cook those steaks soon enough.