“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”
― Oscar Wilde

A poem for a real or an imagined person? A poem for the sappy romantic in all of us.

Cheers ~ Lorena

 

(Com tradução em Português)

 

I wish you could see the world through my eyes

then you would see

the secret world of dancing trees

when the wind blows cool

the wonder of children playing with kites

barefoot under the hot sun

the dignity of a man poor

but proud peddling wares on the streets

I wish you could see the world through my eyes

then you would see

fantastical creatures in skies

covered with clouds

the peace that comes

over ocean waves in twilight

the mystery behind blossoming flowers

in an isolated garden

I wish you could see the world through my eyes

then you would see

lovely stars in eyes so deep

the shadows cast on the angles of a face

strong but kind

I wish you could see the world through my eyes

then you would see the beauty I behold in you


(Now in Portuguese for my Brazilian friends; I hope it survives google translate!)

Eu gostaria que você pudesse ver o mundo através dos meus olhos
então você veria
o mundo secreto das árvores da dança
quando o vento sopra arrefecer
a maravilha de crianças brincando com pipas
com os pés descalços sob o sol quente
a dignidade de um homem pobre
mas orgulhoso vendendo mercadorias nas ruas


Eu gostaria que você pudesse ver o mundo através dos meus olhos
então você veria
criaturas fantásticas em céus
coberto de nuvens
a paz que vem
sobre ondas de oceano no crepúsculo
o mistério por trás flores desabrochando
em um jardim isolado


Eu gostaria que você pudesse ver o mundo através dos meus olhos
então você veria
encantadores estrelas nos olhos tão profundos
as sombras projectadas sobre os ângulos de um rosto
forte mas gentil
Eu gostaria que você pudesse ver o mundo através dos meus olhos
então você deve ver a beleza que eu eis que em você

 

My Secret "Pancake Recipe"

Here's the story behind my secret "Pancake Recipe", but before I spill, let me take you back in time.  About three years ago my kids followed me from Rio to Vitoria, E.S.. I was a few months into a new job, a new town, a new life. I was finally reunited with my kids after 3 long months. I was desperate to reconnect and create stability in all the family chaos. So what I call Pancake Sundays became a family tradition.

I went through different recipes. Combed through tons of postings on Google, Youtube, and Pinterest. For the first two years I made simple pancakes, the type that has flour, milk, and eggs...you know what I'm talking about. The only things that made the pancakes notable were the toppings, sides, and the mountain of sweat that went into them. Try making a dozen pancakes in almost 90 degrees Fahrenheit weather and you'll empathize. Besides that the high cost of some ingredients: strawberries, blueberries, bacon, and maple syrup are super expensive in Brazil!

Then one day my dad showed up with a new recipe and I've now appropriated it, and it is now my secret "Pancake Recipe". I'm sure you're dying to find out what's so darn fabulous about these pancakes! They taste just as fluffy, light, and tasty as I Hop pancakes! Yep and you can make them at home!

So without further ado world here's my secret "Pancake Recipe"! Enjoy alone or better yet with loved ones and remember, it's never too late to start new family traditions!

ALL AMERICAN PANCAKES RECIPE

  1 1/2 cups flour

  3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

  1/2 teaspoon salt tea

  3 tablespoons of sugar

  1 cup buttermilk  ( 1 cup milk with lime or lemon juice mixed in.)
                               Please note: the more juice you put in, the more the milk will curdle)
  1 egg

  2 tablespoons oil

First mix all dry ingredients.

Second beat the eggs and add all liquid ingredients in the dry mixture.

Mix by hand until smooth.

Pour into a pan (if necessary grease with oil or butter), make sure it is the desired shape and size. Fry on one side until the top starts to bubble and then flip the pancake. Continue to flip and cook if the pancake is too light or seems not fully cooked. Cover with Karo syrup, jam, fruit, chocolate sauce, caramel topping, Nutella, or honey.

 

 

 

Buttermilk made with 1 cup milk and lime juice



The strawberry sauce I made from scratch.

 

(Now in Portuguese for my Brazilian friends!)

ALL AMERICAN PANCAKES RECEITA

1 1/2 xícaras de farinha

3 1/2 colheres de chá de fermento em pó...

1/2 colher de chá de sal

3 colheres de sopa de açúcar

1 xícaras de leite "buttermilk" ( (1 xícara de leite com suco de limão misturado)

1 ovo

 2 colheres de sopa de óleo

Coloque e misture todos os ingredientes à mão em uma tigela grande, até que a mistura é sem bolinhas de farinha.

Despeje em uma frigideira (se necessário unte com óleo ou manteiga), certifique-se que é a forma e tamanho desejado. Frite de um lado até o topo começa a borbulhar e depois virar. Continue a virar e cozinhar, se a panqueca é muito clara ou parece não completamente cozidos. Cubra com xarope karo, geléia, frutas, cobertura de chocolate, cobertura de caramelo, Nutella, ou mel. APROVEITE!

The family...

 

Brazil Beach Days

“The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."

                                                                                ~ Mark Twain
I've been thinking about "home" the last few months, since my last trip which was in December. Where is home? San Francisco, California is home. Although I've lived in three different continents, 3 different countries, and a total of 5 cities in a span of 38 years! I was born in the Philippines; I grew up in the United States, and now I'm living in Brazil. I've lived in: Quezon City, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Vitoria. And yet, dear friends, home is still in the Bay Area. With that said, I've been thinking about it! These days I've been thinking about Ocean Beach. I remember how at 15, I snuck out with high school friends to hang out at a bonfire. I remember at 16, running along the shore, jumping in, and taking some silly photos! I remember in my 20's numerous moments: hiking up Fort Funston, watching sunsets with friends, and even dinners at The Cliff House. One thing is constant in all these memories, the cold-chilly weather, the gray tint in everything, the fog! San Francisco beaches aren't really for swimming and getting a nice tan!

Now I'm in Vitoria, Espirito Santo, Brazil. Beaches abound, high temperatures, and beach culture. You'd think I would be at the beach more often. Life, alas, working long hours, 3 kiddos, and other responsibilities have made tans elusive! When I had time off in the past, I managed to find time to go to the beach. Beaches here are lovely for many reasons, not just due to perfect weather and the lovely landscape, but because of the people. Here, beaches are for everybody! It's for hot young people, toned, tanned, and beautiful. It's for old folks, wrinkled, sagging, yet still sporting speedos or bikinis! It's for mamas and poppas, with less than perfect figures! It's nice, no one cares. Everyone just wants to have fun and enjoy what nature has to offer!

It's been a while since I went to the beach and had a beach day. Tomorrow...perhaps?

                                                                                                                                      Cheers! Lorena