RABANADA - Traditional Portuguese Christmas Recipes

 

Rabanada is the Portuguese  equivalent of French toast, also known as Tipsy Slices. To make it, you take slices of wheat bread and soak them in milk, wine, or sugar, slather them with eggs and fry them. When ready, they are usually coated in sugar and/or cinnamon, or drizzled in honey.

This is a Portuguese tradition, and was originally created as a dish made with stale bread, in order to use food slightly gone bad instead of throwing it away. 

Recipe

1 French loaf (one day-old  bread is best)
2 eggs
125ml milk
5ml grated lemon rind
oil for frying

Syrup

500g sugar
250ml water
1 stick cinnamon
50ml Port wine

Cut the bread into slices about 2 cm thick. Beat the eggs and place in a soup plate. Mix the milk and lemon rind and pour into a separate soup plate. Dip the bread slices into the milk and then the beaten egg. Fry in hot oil. Drain well.

To make the syrup, boil the sugar and water for 3 minutes. Dip each fried bread into the hot syrup and then place in a deep serving bowl. Add the cinnamon stick and Port wine to the remaining syrup, bring to the boil and pour over the slices of bread.

Variation
Sprinkle the bread with cinnamon and sugar after frying.

CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS - "It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving." Mother Teresa

 “After the season is over, the Christmas lights come down, the fragrance of pine dissipates into the air, and the Christmas music no longer plays on the radio, we may ask, ‘What happens next?’ The wonder and awe of Christmas is just a beginning. Christmas reminds us that the babe born in Bethlehem has given us purpose for living, and what happens next to us largely depends on how we embrace our Savior, Jesus Christ, and follow Him.”
— Rosemary Wixom

“Somehow, not only for Christmas
But all the long year through,
The joy that you give to others
Is the joy that comes back to you.”
— John Greenleaf Whittier

“God grant you the light of Christmas, which is faith; the warmth of Christmas, which is purity; the righteousness of Christmas, which is justice; the belief in Christmas, which is truth; the all of Christmas, which is Christ.”
— Wilda English

 “The spirit of Christmas is Christlike love. The way to increase the Christmas spirit is to reach out generously to those around us and give of ourselves. The best gifts are not material things but gifts of listening, of showing kindness, of remembering, of visiting, of forgiving, of giving time.”
— Bonnie L. Oscarson

“Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son. The only requirement is to believe in Him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life.”
— Corrie ten Boom

“May you be filled with the wonder of Mary, the obedience of Joseph, the joy of the angels, the eagerness of the shepherds, the determination of the magi, and the peace of the Christ child. Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit bless you now and forever.”— Ray Pritchard

"Some Christmas tree ornaments do more than glitter and glow, they represent a gift of love given a long time ago."

"Let us have music for Christmas…
Sound the trumpet of joy and rebirth;
Let each of us try, with a song in our hearts,
To bring peace to men on earth."

 

PUFF PATCHWORK

1.      With the right side facing up, place the 4.5" square on top of the scrap 4" square. Align the top right two edges. Use a scant 1/4" seam (a seam that's just a smidge smaller than a regular 1/4" seam) and start sewing along the right edge.

2.      After a few stitches, take the bottom right corner of the top square and align it with the bottom right corner of the bottom square. Gather the fabric to the middle of the square and using two finger, pinch the fabric to create a pleat. Hold or pin the pleat down as you sew over it. 

3.      When you get about a 1/4" to the edge of the square, stop with your needle down and pivot so that you sew down the perpendicular edge. 

4.      Repeat Step 2 to create a pleat, and do the same for the third side.

5.      Leave the 4th side open. You will stuff the puff and close that up a little later.

6.      Work out a pattern design on paper and pin the squares to your desired pattern and colors.

7.      Chain piece each square instead of sewing every block separately.

 

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Inspirational Quotes

Albert Schweitzer

“Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace.”

Saint Francis de Sales

“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.”

Dalai Lama

“Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.”

Lao Tzu

“If you are depressed you are living in the past if you are anxious you are living in the future, if you are at peace, you are living in the present.”

Karen Salmansohn

"Let go of the thoughts that don’t make you strong."

 Amy Poehler

“If you can dance and be free and not be embarrassed, you can rule the world.”