Smelling cookies in a hot summer day

My fellow Baltimoreans suffer with the cold, I suffer with hot temperatures, here in Sao Paulo.

One of the issues we face, while living here, is that on days very hot, with very low precipitation, the pollution reach high levels, and we can't step out the house.

Well, what do you with a jumping toddler, that has recently discovered the pleasures of sweets? You bake cookies!

We decided to bake chocolate and peanut butter cookies. The recipe was taken from Better Homes and Garden. 

The outcome was spectacular! I was able to entertain my little one for a while, he tasted his first cookie dough, and was bragging to everyone that wanted to hear that he made the cookies!

Quick dinner in less than 20 minutes!

My radio silence has many reasons, but not enough to keep me away any longer.
Being a mom of a tiny wannabe gourmet (my son has been smelling and tasting new food offerings before eating for a while, now...) forces me to take new approaches with basics.
I will call it M lasagna, it takes less than 20 minutes from preparing to putting on the table:

Step 1:
Boil 3 medium sweet potatoes, cut them in small pieces, add a pinch of sea salt to the cooking water
Cut 2 small/medium courgettes, and cooked them in olive oil and add some herbs
Cook 1/2 pound minced meat, with a drizzle of olive oil

Step 2:
Assemble the small oven bowl with butter, sweet potato puree, meat, courgette, and finally add shredded mozzarella cheese.

Step 3:
Put the bowls in small counter oven for 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese melts.

Step 4:
Enjoy! Bom apetite!

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A berry nice jam: everything and figs!

One of my fondest memories of my childhood is the aroma from a pot full of blackberries being slowly transformed into the best jam one could wish for!

Now a mother myself, I try to create olfactory memories for my son.

Over the summer I enjoyed the peak, and consequently the low prices, of blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and figs to buy extra, freeze them up and few couple of months (2-3) later put all of them in a nice jam.

You can do jam for each fruit separately. I just decided to do a melting pot of all them!

I took all fruits of the freezer and covered them with sugar, I used very little as all fruits were ripped and were very sweet. I after coating them with sugar, I pour them into a heavy pot, I used my Le Creuset, and left them over night. This way the fruit juices are released.

After a bath of sugar overnight:

Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30-35 minutes:

Give some whizzes with the immersion blender, if you don't have (go and get it now!) you can use your blender. 

I have already shared at least 2-3 cups with a good friend of mine, and the remaining I just put it in a weck jar. The remaining I will be doing berries vinaigrette, roast chicken, you name it! Many potential ways to use!

They will not be here for too long! Many teas with crackers, or mini toasts, with goat cheese, are seen ahead!