Brigadeiros and Beijinhos

Carnaval Weekend has begun.  Friday, February 16, 2012.

We are anything but Carnaval-ing at Praia de Icarai 291, Apartment 1102!  A week of sleep deprivation has everyone in a--uh--mellow mood.  I have just awakened at 10 PM from an extended (5 hour) afternoon nap, and I find Cecilia in the kitchen stirring something on the stove.  It smells sweet and sticky.  She tells me she's making Brigadeiros.  Her favorite candy is made from condensed milk and chocolate, period, that's all.  It's cooked on the stove to soft-ball stage, spread on a buttered plate to cool, rolled into balls with buttered hands, and dropped into chocolate sprinkles to cover.

C's Favorite Candy--Brigadeiros

Cecilia, the Midnight Chef

Cecilia also decides to make Beijinhos de Coco (Coconut Kisses) "since I have the ingredients," she says.  So while the brigadeiros are cooling, into the pan goes condensed milk and coconut flakes.  The Beijinhos are cooked and cooled; then the rolling begins.

Beijinhos Cooling on a Buttered Plate

Rolled with Buttered Hands

Rolled in Sweetened Coconut Flakes

We are in the living room enjoying the fruits of Will's work for the day.  Today he has been to Icarai, Centro, Sao Francisco, and back, locating the necessary parts to convert the tv so that we can watch the Samba Schools midnight broadcast live from Sao Paulo.  The colorful parades are excited--at times frenetic, and--as Cecilia says--"a little cheesy."  Evidently Sao Paulo's Carnaval parades don't hold a candle to Rio's, which will follow on Monday and Tuesday.  Each Samba School (or community group) has 1 hour and 10 minutes to present its parade--a combination of a theme, original theme song, floats, costumed participants by the hundreds, choreography, flag bearers, and a large percussion band.  This is a judged the event.

Bright groups of feathered, ruffled, bejeweled, clothed and not-so-much twirl and samba down the parade route.  This takes place in a stadium designed specifically for the annual display/competition.  Truth is, it looks a little like the Rose Bowl Parade on a quarter-mile drag strip track.

Dancers twirl on the TV screen
live from Sao Paulo.

Elaborate float travels the length of the parade strip.

One of the Samba School's theme was Love.  Lots of good examples of love:  everything from a Cupid Float to groups of organ donor recipients.  There was a couple who married during the Samba School.  The float that Cecilia and I liked the most was a large rendition of a kneeling groom and his bride; she was standing and reaching forward (probably to lovingly stroke his hair).  However!  As the dancers on the float moved to the beat of the music, it appeared that the bride was repeatedly bashing her groom in the head. . . ..  I'm still chuckling at the image.

But I digress, again.

I'm talking about Brigadeiros and Beijinhos.  As I watch the Samba Schools form my vantage point in the hammock, Will comes toward me with a plate lit with a sparkler.  He and C are singing "Happy Anniversary to You" in honor of my one month anniversary in Brasil.  The sparkler was attached to one of the Brigadeiros, and expressions of gratitude were attached to the hugs they gave.

They had planned the sweet surprise for me.  From the shopping that Will did to procure ingredients to the midnight chef's skills--they both sacrificed precious "sleep while the baby sleeps" to make me feel very loved.  The candy kisses were almost as sweet as the hugs we shared!

Coconut Kisses--Beijinhos de Coco
Decorated with a clove--mmmmmm!

Sometimes love is delicious!