Brazilian Breakfast: A Good Start to Your Day

Many people say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Of course, such folks often hail from countries such as the United States, where a big meal was often eaten, especially in pre-Industrial Revolution times, by agriculture-heavy regions whose people performed the daily arduous chores of running farms and building and maintaining houses. That tradition continues, particularly in the Midwestern US, where bacon, eggs, pancakes, oatmeal and other heavy fare are still served, whether or not you are a farmer.

Halloween And Its History

Halloween, otherwise known as All Hallows’ Eve, has a long and perhaps confusing history to most people. Many look at the holiday as just a fun, secular time for kids to dress up in fun costumes and go trick-or-treating, though it’s likely that the trick-or-treating is chiefly an American practise, stemming from, ironically enough, a medieval English activity called ‘going a-souling.’

Brigadeiro

brigadeiroAfter a feast of crispy fried coxinha, savory Bobo de Camarao, or any other delicious Brazilian dish, it’s time for the final and, what some people consider, best part of any meal.  Dessert!  There is perhaps no dessert more mouth-watering, rich, and smooth than brigadeiro, a round, chocolate truffle famous for its sugary, decadent flavor throughout the country of Brazil.  This treat was at one point only known by the people of Brazil, but now this confectionary creation is becoming popular in Europe and the United States – with good reason.  This chocolate dessert can be enjoyed as a snack, a dessert after a big meal, or simply on its own.  Brigadeiro is a staple of Brazilian cooking and culture, and its ingredients are just as rich and interesting as its history.

In The Woods

imageAre you looking for different things to do in London? Hhow about a festival in the middle of the wood? The small but perfectly formed In The Woods festival – organised by the perky and freewheeling leftfield London pop quintet Laurel Collective – returns for its ninth consecutive year, stretching out into a two-day affair for 2014. Punters are promised an experience as far removed from “warm pints of foamy Carling in a copoorate mudbath” as it’s possible to get, which can only be a great thing.

Notting Hill Carnival

music-img1Every year the streets of West London come alive, with the sounds and smells of Europe’s biggest street festival. Twenty miles of vibrant colourful costumes surround over 40 static sound systems, hundreds of Caribbean food stalls,(make sure you visit Mama’s Jerk Station, on the corner of Portobello Rd and Oxford Gardens) over 40,000 volunteers and over 1 million Notting Hill carnival revellers.