A month in Portugal, and Christmas is here!

In this podcast, we catch up about Portugal and Thanksgiving and start talking about Christmas foods and traditions.

Angela’s month-long trip to Portugal was a mix of work and play (and handling an energetic 3 year old). She spent time in Lisbon, Porto & Braga. :) Do you know of any kids who like peixinho com vinagre (what a savory palate!)? Shout-out to listener Danielle Pimentel for recommending Maria Catita in Lisboa’s Baixa. One of this trip’s foodie discoveries happened was one of Campo Pequeno's petiscos – scrambled eggs & alheira. She also tried Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo.

We also talk about Thanksgiving – Maria’s was a quiet affair with her daughters out of town. Angela, on the other hand, spent the holiday with 200 family members. There must be a lot of Maria’s in there. ;) But it's one of those Portuguese-esque holidays with lots of food and family, not that we don't do that EVERY weekend.

And last, but not least, the conversation turned to Christmas! Maria talks about the presépio her mom used to make growing up – not just a small nativity scene but a nativity village. And what’s on the Christmas table? Check out the Christmas menus for both Maria and Angela below.

What about you? What are you favorite Christmas traditions (food or otherwise)? Let us know in the comments!

Boas Festas!

P.S.: Ever wondered where Bolo Rei came from? Take a peek at this post to learn more about it.

http://catavino.net/bolo-rei-bolo-rainha-portuguese-christmas-cake/

Maria Catita - https://www.facebook.com/restaurantemariacatita/

Bacalhau a Ze do Pipo -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacalhau_%C3%A0_Z%C3%A9_do_Pipo

Go here to see Maria’s presepio! http://azoreangreenbean.com/2015/12/presepio/

Angela’s Christmas Eve Menu

- Azeitonas

- Queijo Casteloes with crackers - http://www.lactogal.pt/content.aspx?menuid=119

- Bacalhau a Gomes de Sa (see below for Maria’s recipe, which I’ll be using!)

- Papo Secos - https://easyportugueserecipes.com/portuguese-rolls-papo-secos/

- Pasteis de nata (homemade by my husband, but here’s another recipe!) - http://leitesculinaria.com/7759/recipes-portuguese-custard-tarts-pasteis-de-nata.html

- Café Nespresso (Ristretto and Ciocattino are our favs!)

- Assorted liquors

Angela’s Christmas Day Breakfast Menu

- Brunch eggs made with Alheira instead of bacon! http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/dishes/breakfast-bake-recipes/brunch-egg-bake-recipes

- Linguica bites (just cut up pieces of linguica)

- French toast strips made with sweet bread - http://www.marthastewart.com/1110525/emerils-portuguese-sweet-bread-french-toast

- Fresh fruit

Angela’s Christmas Day Dinner Menu

- Lamb a moda da minha sogra (My mother-in-law’s lamb recipe – if you’d like the recipe, message me and I’ll share it!)

- Mashed potatoes

- Green Salad

- Pasteis de nata

- Café Nespresso

- Assorted liquors

Maria’s Christmas Menu

Rice Pudding... http://azoreangreenbean.com/2015/12/arroz-doce-sweet-rice/

Chocolate Tart... http://azoreangreenbean.com/2014/06/chocolate-tart-maria-biscuit-crust-recipe/

Lemon Liquore .... http://azoreangreenbean.com/2014/06/lemon-liqueur-recipe/

Last but not least pictures of my Prespio with pieces that belonged to my mom... very precious to me!!

http://azoreangreenbean.com/2015/12/presepio/

Also... we would always have a codfish dish at our christmas table...

This Year I'm making the very easy and traditional Cod Fish à Gomes Sá / Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá. This codfish recipe is the most traditional dish. As far as I can remember, my mom would make this dish for us. Visit www.ourportuguesetable.com for the full recipe!