Holiday Recipes – Tia Maria's Blog

Desserts / Holiday Recipes / Photo Gallery

July 19, 2024

HAWAIIAN PINEAPPLE CAKE

This summer dessert tastes like you’re on a tropical island. It’s so easy and perfect for your next party! Jo

I package yellow cake mix

1 large can crushed Pineapple (drained but save the liquid)

1 container of Cool whip

1 package of instant vanilla pudding mix

1 and 1/2 cups of milk

2 cups of flaked coconut

1 cup chopped walnuts

*Cherries for garnish if desired

Instructions:

Prepare cake according to package directions but add 1/2 of the crushed pineapple to the batter. Bake in a rectangle deep dish pan and let it cool completely until you’re ready to add the toppings.

Make the pudding by combing the mix with the milk. Mix well and let cool in the refrigerator until the cake has cooled.

When cake is ready, poke a few holes in it with a fork and add the leftover pineapple juice into each hole.

Mix the pudding with the cool whip and layer it evenly over the cake.

Top the cake with the coconut and pineapple. Add cherries if desired.

Store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to cool before serving. Store leftover cake in refrigerator. Enjoy!

Appetizers / fish / Holiday Recipes / Main Dish / Recipes / shrimp

June 20, 2024

CAMARÃO DO DIABO – DEVIL’S SHRIMP

This Spicy Shrimp will set your mouth on fire but you’ll love it! Serve as an appetizer or as a main dish over fettuccine pasta or any other favorite pasta.

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs medium shelled shrimp

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp white wine

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves minced garlic

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

PREPARATION:

Marinate shrimp in wine, salt, and pepper flakes for 3 minutes.

Heat oil and butter until hot. Add garlic and cook until translucent. Add shrimp and stir. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until fully cooked.

Holiday Recipes / Main Dish / Recipes / shrimp

January 23, 2024

Tia Maria’s Easy 5 Minute Grilled Shrimp

GET IT ON AMAZON: CLICK PICTURE

This easy 5 minute shrimp is so simple. It’s so savory and tender. You won’t believe how tender, savory and delicious it is.

You can make this recipe as an appetizer, lunch, snack or a dinner. Enjoy!

2 pounds medium shrimp (shelled de veined)

1 tbsp Taste Portugal Seasoning

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tbsp butter

lemon juice

lemon wedges for garnish

Crushed red pepper flakes for a spicy kick (optional).

Get on AMAZON or LISBONBLUE.ETSY.COM

Marinate shrimp in seasoning, oil and lemon juice for 5 minutes. Heat grill to medium high and cook on each side.

Watch my video below.

Chouico / fish / Holiday Recipes / Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Portuguese Christmas / Recipes

September 13, 2023

LULAS RECIADAS A AURORA – PORTUGUESE STUFFED SQUID

Lulas Reciadas are a classic recipe that you’ll love. This recipe is my TASTE PORTUGAL MORE EASY PORTUGUESE RECIPES.

I learned this recipe from my Mother in Law who passed many years ago. I’ve improvised it a bit. It’s my husband’s favorite which I make for him often.

INGREDIENTS:

2 to 2 lbs cleaned whole squid (cut tentacles into small pieces)

1 medium chouriço sausage (cut into small pieces)

2 to 3 slices of presunto (prosciutto cut into small pieces)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large onion (chopped)

1 small red pepper diced (optional)

1 bay leaf

4 garlic cloves (minced)

1 to 2 cups very ripe tomatoes (chopped)

1/2 cup white wine

1 teaspoon salt

lemon slices

fresh parsley (chopped)

Preparation:

Saute onion, garlic and pepper in olive oil until golden. Add the chopped tentacles, chouriço, and presunto. Cook for a few minutes and add tomatoes, wine and parsley. Cover and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce thickens. Let cool slightly.

Fill each whole squid with the mixture and seal with a toothpick. Place into pan with the remaining sauce and cook on medium for about 20 minutes until tender. Place on serving dish and top with more parsley, and squeeze of lemon juice

Serve over boiled potatoes, fries or rice.

Watch my YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR THE VIDEO RECIPE.

BOM APETITE!

Desserts / Holiday Recipes / Photo Gallery / Recipes

June 28, 2022

Sugar Free Strawberry Pie

I went strawberry picking last week with my granddaughter. We made a delicious strawberry pie. This version is SUGAR FREE but visit this link for a regular STRAWBERRY PIE sweet version. I used pretzels and and almonds for the crust since they both have no sugar.

**You can also make this pie to go in a square pan with a lid. I made this one for a cook out.**

Strawberry Filling

2 and 1/2 quarts fresh strawberries (1/2 of them cut into quarters, leave the bigger ones for the top later)

1 cup monkfruit sweetener

3 tablespoons corn starch

1/2 cup water

1/4 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Place strawberries, sweetener, vanilla and water in a saucepan. Cook until thickened for about 2 minutes. Mix cornstarch with a little cold water and dissolve. Add cornstarch to strawberries. Cook until you can see a line in the bottom of the pan when you form a line with a spoon. You may need to cook for about 3-5 minutes.

Poor the mixture in cooled crust leaving 1/4 for topping fresh strawberries. Arrange fresh berries on top of mixture and drizzle with the remaining cooked berries. Let cool for a few hours in refrigerator. Serve with fresh whipped cream. *Fresh whipped cream has 0 to only 1% added sugar*. This is optional of course.

Pretzel crust

1 and 1/2 cups mini pretzels

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1/4 cup monkfruit sweetener

1/2 stick butter softened

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Place pretzels, almonds, cinnamon and monkfruit in a processor and pulse until until crumbs form. Add butter and pulse until blended.

Form the mixture onto a pie plate and cook at 350 F. for 8 minutes. Let cool.

Desserts / Holiday Recipes / Recipes

February 16, 2021

Sour Cream Birds Nest Coffee Cake

Easter Sour Cream Birds Nest Coffee Cake is a perfect cake for your Easter dessert table.

Look at those beautiful candy coated almonds that look just like bird eggs. The crumbly, nutty topping pairs perfectly with your afternoon coffee or tea break. You can also serve the cake year round without the almonds of course.

Enjoy and Happy Easter!

Find this delicious recipe in my Taste Portugal More Easy Portuguese recipes cookbook;

Ingredients:

1 stick butter

1 cup sour cream

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup sugar

Crumb Topping

1 tablespoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons melted margarine

1 tablespoon flour

1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)

Instructions

Make crumb topping by mixing all ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside until you make the cake batter.

Note: The mix will be dry and crumbly. If you find it too wet, add more sugars.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar and margarine until smooth and creamy. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until smooth.

Pour 1/2 of the batter into a greased tube or bundt pan. Sprinkle 1/2 of the crumb topping evenly over batter.

Add the remaining batter and top with the rest of the crumb topping. Cut through the batter with a knife once around to form a circle pattern.

Cook at 350 for about 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in pan for a few minutes. Serve with crumb side up.

Add candy almonds in a small bowl that fill center of cake. I used a ramekin.

Appetizers / chicken / Holiday Recipes / Photo Gallery / Recipes

February 11, 2021

Portuguese Piri Piri Chicken Wings

TAKE MY SHORTCUT AND USE MY TASTE PORTUGAL SPICY PIRI PIRI SEASONING

Piri Piri Chicken wings are so delicious that you’ll keep making them again and again at every party! I used an air fryer to bake these wings but you can also bake them in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 30 minutes or longer until crispy. Use this sauce to make piri piri chicken too. Enjoy!

Order this beautiful Glass Cutting Board on Lisbon Blue shop.

Ingredients:

2 pounds uncooked chicken wings

piri piri sauce

cooking spray

Preparation:

Piri Piri Sauce recipe:

20 fresh birds eye whole peppers (use 2 large red peppers if unavailable)

6 red jalapeno peppers (seed and chop)

6 cloves garlic

juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons white vinegar

2 tablespoons paprika

1 tablespoon salt

½ cup olive oil

Preparation:

Place all ingredients into a blender and pulse to a smooth consistency. Place in jars and store in refrigerator until ready to use.

NOTE: I cook down the sauce for about 5 minutes and serve along with the wings for dipping.

Chicken Wings:

Marinate room temperature wings for at least 2 hours or overnight in refrigerator.

Lightly coat air fryer with cooking spray. Place half of wings (shake off marinade) in fryer and lightly spray with cooking spray. Cook at 400 degrees F. for 12-15 minutes until crispy. Cook remaining wings.

You can also bake at 400 degrees F. for about 30 minutes until crispy depending on your oven.

Desserts / Holiday Recipes / Recipes / Traditional customs

July 30, 2020

Festa Food – Filhos da Festa – Portuguese Fried Dough

Festa food recipes continue this month with these Filhos da Festa. This popular dessert is a favorite at every festa. Some people call them “Malasadas” some call them “Filhos”. Call them any name you want. Enjoy the recipe.

Ingredients:

9 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 and ½ teaspoon salt

6 eggs

1 stick butter or margarine (8 tbsp)

1 teaspoon lemon or orange extract

2 cups milk

¼ cup fresh orange juice

oil for frying (corn oil or vegetable oil works best)

granulated sugar

cinnamon for dusting (optional)

Ingredients to make the starter yeast:

3 tablespoons flour

½ teaspoon sugar

2 packages of dry yeast or 1 small cube yeast (0.6 oz, 17g)

½ cup warm water

First step:

Mix the ingredients in the starter yeast and set aside until bubbles form.

Second step:

Put the milk and butter in a pan on low until butter is melted

In a large bowl, mix eggs, salt, sugar, lemon zest, and orange juice. Beat with electric mixer for 2 minutes.

Add the milk and butter and mix for 30 seconds. Add yeast mix and flour and knead well until the dough is elastic and smooth.

Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

Punch down the dough, cover and let it rise until doubled.

Your dough will look light, airy and elasticy .

In a deep fryer heat the oil to 375 degrees. Using your hands lightly greased with olive oil, stretch pieces of the dough into thin strips of desired sizes of about 3 by 4 inches.

Fry until golden brown.

Drain on paper towels. Dust with granulated sugar while still warm. Note: You can also dust with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon.

Appetizers / Chouico / Holiday Recipes / Photo Gallery / Recipes

January 31, 2019

Portuguese Chouriço/Pigs in a Blanket

**Chouriço in a Blanket; is my take on the classic pigs in a blanket. You can use either puff pastry dough or crescent roll dough.**

These little one bite size appetizers are perfect for your next party, or anytime snack.

My preference it to use Gaspar’s Chourico or Linguica because I find it cooks better, won’t become as dry and retains more flavor in the dough. You can order online directly from their website at Gaspar’s Sausage.

pigsinablanket

I made these into a wreath at Christmas and it was great hit. They’re perfect for a party, a ball game, or as a snack as well.

Ingredients: Makes about 24

2 sheets of frozen (slightly defrosted) puff pastry sheets or 2 packages of crescent rolls

3/4 pound chouriço sausage

1 beaten egg (for egg wash)

Preparation:

Cut the chouriço lengthwise into 2 inch strips.

Cut the puff pastry into 4 inch triangle or use 1/2 of each piece of the crescent rolls.

Start rolling chouriço inside each strip of dough starting at the larger edge.

Brush with egg wash.

Place in a parchment lined cookie sheet and cook at 375 for about 15-20 minutes until golden depending on your oven.

Watch my YouTube video below .

Serve with mustard dip, plain mustard, or as is.

Mustard dip recipe here or use any mustard

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1 and 1/2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

1 tablespoons chopped chives

salt and black pepper

Recipe for mustard dip inspired by: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/trisha-yearwood/pigs-in-a-wreath-4555245

Desserts / Holiday Recipes / Photo Gallery / Recipes

September 6, 2018

Bolo de Bolacha Maria Cake

What better way to show your love, by making your friends and family a delicious Bolo de Bolacha Maria cake! This dessert is probably one of the favorites in Portuguese cuisine. There are many recipes from the original recipe which uses softened butter between the layers. My version uses condensed milk and whole milk for a less buttery taste. I adapted this recipe from one given to me by; Carla Almeida of New York. Thanks Carla. Enjoy everyone.

⁸

Ingredients:

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup whole milk
5 egg yolks (beaten)
2 to 3 large packages Bolacha Maria (Maria Cookies)
5 cups cold black coffee
1 pint whipping cream
1 tsp of sugar
cinnamon

1 tablespoons brown sugar

Preparation:

In a small saucepan heat milk, condensed milk, and egg yolks until thickened stirring often. A line should form on the bottom of the pan when you run your spoon through it.

Note: Let cool completely before you begin layering the cake.

Beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form, add the teaspoon of sugar, mix gently, and place in the refrigerator.

Place 6 to 8 cookies in a plastic bag and smash to coarse crumbs. Add the cinnamon and brown sugar and mix thoroughly to form fine crumbs.

Dip first layer of cookies one at a time into the coffee for about 4 seconds and begin arranging in a desired pattern.

Note: If you find the cookies fall apart, dip for only 3 seconds.

Top first layer with a few spoons of milk mixture. Dip each cookie into the coffee and begin assembling each layer with the sweetened milk. Continue layering until you use all the sweetened milk.