Jóias

Though I love a good key chain or refrigerator magnet, one of my favorite ways to remember my travels is through jewelry and accessories. I absolutely love accessories that bring back a memory when I wear them, like the 5 euro pashmina I bought outside the Milan metro that still smells of Italy. Lucky for lovers of Brasa like me, there are some wonderfully talented jewelry designers that use Brazil's beauty as inspiration.

Francesca Romana Diana is the first jewelry designer I took notice of on a trip to Brazil. Walking down Visconde de Pirajá, Ipanema's main commercial street, I was drawn in by the pink and orange decor and soon noticed several brightly colored pieces that I had to have. The designer who's name graces each piece is actually a Roman expat who realized that Brazil's richness in semi-precious stones would be great inspiration. Now, she's one of the most well-known jewelry designers in Brazil and her collections pay homage to several aspects of Brazilian culture.

Two of my favorite pieces that I'm lucky to own are below. The first is the bracelet inspired by the Fita do Bomfim, the amulet made of fabric that you must get tied on your wrist if ever in Salvador, Bahia. The legend goes that three knots tied on the bracelet each represent a wish that will only come true once the bracelet falls off on its own. I got a red one with good luck charms that include a mini-horseshoe. I wear it every time I have a gig! The other is the thick cuff from the Rio de Janeiro collection that captures the Rio skyline. I love this piece and get questions about it every time I wear it.

The other designer I love is Maria Oiticica. She calls her pieces biojóias or bio-jewels as all her designs incorporate raw materials from Brazil's Amazon rainforest. Last year, Macy's launched a Brazil-inspired market that featured some of her designs but to be honest, the pieces they chose weren't my favorites. Earlier this year, I bought the necklace below made of dried açaí seeds and fio de tucum, a rope made from the Tucumã palm tree. One of this designer's fans also happens to be one of my favorite samba singers, Nilze Carvalho, who can be seen wearing the açaí seed necklace on the cover of her latest CD.

Casa

They say the road to hell is paved with the best intentions and I can say with certainty that this is true. My plan had been to start this blog after I came back from Brazil, more focused, with more time. But I was hasty and started it without knowing if I'd have time to commit. I didn't and the result was three months of no posts. But I'm going to give it another shot, inspired in part by the fact that I got an e-mail from CB2 today announcing decorative elements inspired by Brazil.

One of the things that I dream about for my living space, a small apartment on Chicago's north side, is outfitting it with furniture and furnishings that remind me of Rio. From my travels to Brasil, which as I mentioned consists mostly of trips to Rio, I've noticed some key things that many Brazilians have in their homes.

White couches -- I've encountered this in many homes and while I've never thought myself the kind of person who can have a white couch, I've seen families with toddlers keep their white couches gleaming. Perhaps it's the availability of cheap household labor or just the result of a very high standard of cleanliness that I've encountered among almost all Brazilians. Finding a messy Brazilian is about as easy as finding a French person who doesn't like wine. They like their white furniture and combined with the use of color in accessories, it looks elegant and casual at the same time.

Rattan/wicker/natural elements -- I use to equate rattan and wicker with Golden Girls/Miami Beach retiree decor. But no more. Thanks to Rio (and places like Crate & Barrel), wicker has graduated to must-have in my interior design choices. It gives any space a beachy feel, precisely the mood that Rio apartments convey. In the U.S., lots of outdoor furniture is made of these natural materials. In Rio, the line between indoor and outdoor is blurred as many apartments have living rooms that extend into terraces so there aren't rules about what materials you can use where.

White concrete wall -- I tried looking online for a sample picture of what this looks like but many apartments in Rio have a wall, usually between the kitchen and the area just off the kitchen reserved for either a washer/dryer, clothes hanging or a maid's quarters. It's concrete with pretty cut outs in various geometric shapes. Since it exposes the indoor area to outside elements, it makes you remember that Rio is definitely tropical and temperatures hardly go below a comfortable number.

Plans for changing my living space this summer include receiving my new couch from Crate & Barrel (I thought of white but settled for denim in Coffee). I will finally mount the canvas painting that I bought at the Feira Hippie in Ipanema. The Feira Hippie is a touristy but delightful crafts fair that takes place every Sunday in Copacabana's Praça General Osório. They have everything from cute t-shirts and musical instruments (I bought my first pandeiro here) to statues of Iemanjá and soap to prevent evil eye. In the center near the fountain, there are lots of art vendors. In 2012, I bought a painting that features a scene where the Arcos da Lapa are the backdrop to a cute samba club that has patrons dancing downstairs and kissing upstairs.

I think I may have to add to my list after looking at CB2's new Novogratz Brasil Collection. Designed by Bob and Cortney Novogratz who own a home in Trancoso in dreamy Porto Seguro, Bahia, the collection does harken to the tropical feel that isn't quite Miami or Caribbean. My favorites:

The Brasil Pillow - It's made of a natural material (shital pati plant material) and it's lined with a pretty chartreuse.

The Boa Sorte Backgammon set - I don't know if they play backgammon in Brazil but as a lover of all things Brazilian, I go crazy for anything in Brazilian flag colors. This is a muted version of the flag colors and it will go well with the chartreuse on the pillows.

My least favorites: The Luli monkey lamp and the Quadrado rug. I know there are monkeys in Brazil but I've never seen any and don't really think of them as inspiring me to think about the country. When I think monkeys, I think India and Gibraltar, not Brazil. The Quadrado rug looks Native American.

If you go on the CB2 website, you can enter to win a contest to win a trip to Brazil. You can also enter here.

Brigadeiro

I promise this isn’t a food blog. But when I had so much fun making the caipirinha shots, I got in a cooking mood and made brigadeiros for a friend’s get-together and wanted to share the results.

Brigadeiro is Brazil’s national homemade candy. I guarantee that you will never go to a Brazilian kid’s birthday party where brigadeiro isn’t served. It’s an easy-to-make, single-serve, affordable dessert. The name of this treat, according to a Nestle historian, comes from Brigadier Eduardo Gomes, a 1940’s political candidate, whose female supporters sold the treat to raise money for his campaign. Hmmm, será? Gomes didn’t win but the brigadeiro’s legacy endures.

In Brazil, brigadeiro is undergoing a renaissance much like the cupcake did in the U.S. in the late 90’s when the Magnolia Bakery opened in 1996. A cupcake was something you made for school bake sales until Magnolia elevated the simple baked good with flavors like crème brûlée and mocha. Similarly, Chef Luciana Godoy runs SugarLu, an online gourmet brigadeiro business, offering flavors like Kit Kat and Stout Beer to the lucky denizens of Curitiba in the southern state of Paraná.

Closer to home, there’s Chica Bom Bom in Washington D.C., offering flavors like Nutella and Pistachio. Inspired by their menu, I decided to see what would happen if I added peanut butter to the traditional home brigadeiro recipe.

Peanut Butter Brigadeiro

1 can condensed milk (I used Brazilian Nestle brand Moça but any Eagle, La Lechera or store brand will do)
1 tablespoon margarine or spreadable butter
4 tablespoons chocolate powder like Nesquik (I used Mexican brand Carlos V. Cocoa works, too but it will be less sweet -- not a bad thing at all)
Chocolate jimmies
¼ cup peanut butter chips (I would tell you what kind but my sister's dog kindly ate the remaining chips and destroyed the bag/evidence in the process. They were organic from Whole Foods.)

Step one: Put condensed milk, margarine, chocolate powder and peanut butter chips into a heavy-bottom sauce pan. Stir constantly over medium heat with a wooden spoon until the mixture starts to come off of the sides and you can see the bottom of the pan as you stir. I’m not a chef and I’m sure this cooking point has a name. But you’ll know what I mean when you see it. And when I say stir constantly, I mean stir constantly. Take a break to Instagram your pan and you may have to start again. Trust me on this one. Set aside to cool.

Step two: Once it’s cool enough to handle, take some margarine and rub it on your hands. Take a spoonful of the mixture, roll into a little ball and roll in the jimmies. Put in candy cups. I chose gold ones from Wilton.

Suggested listening for eating brigadeiro: Mania de Você by Rita Lee.

My recipe was light on the peanut butter flavor but rolling in finely chopped peanuts instead of jimmies would probably change that for the better. I’m thinking I might make some with cherry extract for Valentine’s Day. I can imagine making peppermint ones as gifts for Christmas. The possibilities are endless!

Beijo, amores!

Caipirinha

It was 1999. I had just graduated from graduate school and was celebrating in Miami, which at the time was the most Brazilian city in the U.S. My obsession with Brazil was in full force by this time and my beach tunes (played on a CD walkman, by the way) included Eliane Elias Sings Jobim.

Miami in 1999 was a Brazilophile’s paradise. It was my first visit to a Brazilian restaurant since this was before churrascarias appeared on the Chicago food scene. I can still remember my heart flutter as I tested my then-elementary Portuguese on the waiter/owner at Via Brasil in North Miami Beach. As we were leaving, I asked him if he knew where I could buy cachaça, the national spirit of Brazil made from sugar cane. He replied “Não! And if you find out where, please let me know!”

Fast forward to 2013 and cachaça is everywhere. Brands like Leblon and Sagatiba actively court American consumers. There are even brands that are distilled in Brazil for export only. And cachaça’s signature drink, the caipirinha, can be found at most upscale bars in bigger American cities.

Thankfully, you don’t have to go to an upscale bar to have a caipirinha. In fact, the best caipirinhas I’ve had have been made for barbecues or parties at home. You may think you know how to make a caipirinha -- just sugar, lime, cachaça and ice then muddle, right? Wrong. According to my friend João, an expert caipirinha-maker in Rio de Janeiro (and by expert, I mean he makes a lot of these for his friends), there is a secret, a segredo, to a delicious caipirinha that most outside Brazil don’t know.

João’s Caipirinha (makes one caipirinha)

1 lime
2 teaspoons of sugar (superfine if you want the sugar to dissolve completely)
1 jigger of cachaça (approximately 50 ml or 1.5 fl. oz.)
Ice

Step one:
Cut the lime into four wedges. And this is where the segredo comes in. Remove the center pith! Yes, that white stuff in the middle of each wedge? Get rid of it! João swears that with it, your caipirinha will have a bitter flavor. I tested the theory and can verify that it’s true. I find that cutting the pith out is easiest after cutting the lime in half.

Step two:
Put lime, sugar and cachaça in your glass or cocktail shaker and muddle using a muddler or wooden spoon. Personally, I like using regular sugar because I like the leftover crystals at the bottom of the glass once I’m done with my drink.

Step three:
Put in a handful of crushed ice. I learned from João that the best crushed ice comes from putting ice cubes in a clean dish towel then whacking them on the floor. Stir or shake.

Step four:
Put on some samba. For example, “Olho por Olho” by Beth Carvalho. Drink.

Here's me, João and his lovely wife Regina at the Centro Cultural Carioca in Rio, 2007:

If caipirinhas are standard at your parties and you want to take your cachaça connoisseurship to the next level, behold the Caipirinha Jello Shot.

Silvinha’s Caipirinha Jello Shot (makes 12 shots)

2 envelopes Knox gelatin (sorry vegans!)
1 ½ cups of Santa Cruz Organic Limeade
3 limes
Juice from the limes (about ¼ cup of juice)
¼ cup of chilled cachaça (I used Ypióca and put it in the freezer for 10 minutes)
1 tablespoon sugar

Step one:
Take limes and cut in half. Then cut the ends so the limes can stand upright like little cups (be careful not to cut too far into to the white part since you're putting liquid in these babies). Juice, then scoop out all the pulp and pith. Set lime cups aside.

Step two:
Bring the limeade to a boil with the added juice from the limes. Pour hot liquid over the gelatin and sugar and stir until dissolved, about 2 minutes of stirring. DO NOT add the cachaça to the boiling liquid or you’ll cook the magic out.

Step three:
Add the chilled cachaça and stir. You can add more cachaça and less limeade but stick to the overall liquid measurements so your gelatin sets. One cup of liquid per gelatin envelope. Pour into the lime cups and refrigerate.

Step four:
Cut the halves into two wedges. You can cut some of the rind so it’s not sticking out if you didn’t pour enough liquid into the cup.

Step five (optional):
I garnished my shots with green sugar from Wilton. As I mentioned above, I love the leftover sugar at the bottom of a caipirinha and the added garnish gives the shot that same texture.

You can also substitute the Santa Cruz Limeade for another juice, like passion fruit or strawberry nectar and pour into clear shot glasses. In Brazil, there are caipirinha menus with varieties like pitanga and tamarindo. Experiment and you’ll find your favorite.

Beijo, amores!

The First Post - Meu Lugar

Though the title of this post is the name of a famous song by Arlindo Cruz wherein he sings about his neighborhood in the Zona Norte of Rio de Janeiro, it also represents what Brazil means to me. ‘Meu lugar’ means ‘my place.’ Brazil is my place. It’s not where I was born, nor is it where I was raised. In fact, I was already 28 the first time I set foot on Brazilian soil. Without getting too dramatic, it’s the place where I feel the most musical and thus, the happiest, the most comfortable and the most myself.

I often think of my life in two parts. There’s the part before Brazil and the part after Brazil. Eight years ago, I made what would be a life-changing trip to Rio de Janeiro. But my love of Brasa started way before my first visit. In fact, I can’t pinpoint exactly when or where it started because I honestly can’t remember a time when Brazil didn't influence some aspect of my life.

In addition to Jorge Negrete and Javier Solis, my parents played Walter Wanderley records when I was a kid. I still have an Olodum CD that my dad gave me in the early 1990's. My first Portuguese class was in 1996. I sang my first bossa nova in Portuguese in 1997. My first planned trip to Brazil in June of 1999 ended up being cancelled because I had to start a grad school summer program. Maybe destiny knew I wasn't ready to commit so much to one country just yet.

They say all travel changes you, even in minuscule or fleeting ways. I know I drink more coffee when I come back from Mexico or Italy but that influence usually fades as I settle back into my American ways. But Brazil is different.

In the eight years since I visited Brazil for the first time, I became a working samba musician. I became a student of Brazilian percussion. I developed a love of cooking. I have made many interesting friends, some of whom will make it into the pages of this blog. And this year with a little luck, I’ll be releasing my first CD of Brazilian music. Brazil has given me so much. This blog is my attempt to capture it all.

And I'm not alone. I've met so many people who have been put under the Brasa spell, too -- non-Brazilian friends who get regular shipments of Brazilian CDs, who have Café Pilão in their cupboards and who know more Portuguese slang than the average Brazilian expat. This blog is for them, too.

Te Amo, Brasa!

Photo: June, 2005. The view from the plane as I descended over Rio for the first time.