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Hi!

My name is Stacy!

I am so excited to share a little bit of my world with the world!

I am a first generation Portuguese-American wife and mother of two amazing kids living in New England. My passions are my family, friends and making people happy through creating food, gifts, and events they will love to enjoy. I am a cook, a baker, a crafter, a party thrower, a garden dabbler, a cookbook author and an all around lover of all things home and family.

Join me throughout your week to peek at my creations… look in on some Portuguese-American culture… pick up a new recipe for a weeknight dinner or plan a fun party menu… find a new fun way to have fun with your kids… or just look at some pretty pictures and maybe get inspired to create your own fun work of art!

So, pour yourself a cup of tea (or coffee or wine or whatever!), get comfy, and let’s get creative!

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Portuguese Chicken and Rice by The Portuguese American Mom 

Recipe:

Portuguese Chicken and Rice by The Portuguese American Mom 

1 large onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbs olive oil

1 Tbs Pimenta Moida 

2lbs Chicken breast, cubed

1/2 chourico, peeled and sliced

2tsp coarse Kosher Salt

1/2 tsp Portuguese allspice

2 cups medium/long grain white rice

4 large potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 cup tomato sauce

8 cups water

Instructions:

Sautee onions in olive oil in heavy bottomed large pot over medium high heat. Add in garlic, stir. Add in chourico, stir. Add in pimenta moida and Portuguese allspice. Add in chicken, stir. Add in rice and potatoes and cover in water and tomato sauce. Simmer over medium/low heat until rice is completely cooked through (to the point of a bit mushy -this is not the time for aldente) and potatoes are cooked through. Stir and taste for salt. 

Chouriço and Peppers Sandwich

Recipe for Mom’s Amazing Chouriço & Peppers:

(makes 30 party size sandwiches)

3 lbs. ground chouriço

3 bell peppers, large dice

3 onions, small dice

3 small cans tomato sauce

24 oz. beer

olive oil

30 mini portuguese sandwich rolls (or lg. rolls cut in half)

Directions:

Saute onions and peppers in olive oil.  Add in chouriço, tomato sauce and beer.  Cover and simmer over medium/low heat for about 1 hour.  When liquid is reduced by about half, turn off heat and stuff sandwiches. (The meat should be very moist, but not soupy.)

Enjoy!

***NOTE: this recipe is a one to one ratio throughout, so if you want to cut it down or increase the amount, just do so in kind… for example to make for a family dinner use 1 lb. chouriço, 1 small can tomato sauce, one pepper, one onion and 8 oz. of beer 🙂

For the Full Recipe see the original post: https://theportugueseamericanmom.com/moms-amazing-chourico-peppers-chourico-com-pimenta/

SouthCoast’s Portuguese American Mom to lead culinary adventure in Azores (The Herald News)

For the past several years I have shared recipes, cooking tips, cultural adventures, the publishing of my cook book and opening of StacyCakes Tea Shoppe and Cakery in Westport MA with all of you. Now, I have come up with a couple of fun new projects that I am so excited to share. Some of you may have seen some new video blog posts I have posted recently…  I have officially launched my new YouTube Channel! Recipes will be coming out sporatically as we get through the filming and editing process around all my other ventures, but rest assured, they are coming… be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any. The next one is Chouriço and Peppers! So be on the lookout!

Also, last but certainly not least, I am excited to announce my first Culinary Tour of Portugal!!! This tour of St. Michael, Azores (where my family originates) will be packed with so many different culinary experiences from rolling up your sleeves and cooking right beside me to seeing food made out in the open at a traditional Portuguese feast to a walking tour of the city where we will sample small bites of food called petiscos and wine to go right along with it! Read more about my new adventures in this article.  Hope you can join the fun whether following along with the vlog or getting those bags packed and passport ready! 

Interested in Joining the Tour?

Portuguese Thanksgiving Stuffing

Portuguese Thanksgiving Stuffing

The Portuguese American Mom, Stacy Silva-Boutwell, shows you how to make her perfect Portuguese Stuffing just in time for Thanksgiving.

Recipe

Portuguese Thanksgiving Stuffing

1 dozen Papo-secos (rolls)

1/2 lb. Ground Portuguese Chouriço 

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbs Ground Pimenta Moida (red pepper)

1 tsp. Portuguese All-spice

2 eggs, beaten

Turkey giblets, chopped (optional)

Kosher Salt to taste

1/8-1/4 cup olive oil Olive Oil

6-8 quarts water for soaking, then draining

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl filled 3/4 with luke warm water, tare bread and soak.

In a large skillet, saute onions in olive oil over medium heat.  When onions are starting to cook through, add in garlic and saute another minute.  Add in chouriço and continue to saute. The next step will take place once the chouriço is starting to render its fat and become crispy. At this point, add in giblets if desired.

Hold soaked bread between both hands and squeeze out most of the water.  Add each piece into your hot skillet.  Incorporate the wet bread in with the chouiço mixture and continue to saute the bread in the skillet for about 10 minutes.  At this point taste for salt and add if needed.  Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.  Place in a large casserole dish.

Add in beaten eggs and Portuguese All Spice.  Mix in well. Place casserole uncovered in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour until cooked through and top is crispy.

Enjoy!

For More Detailed Instructions

Herald News Report: “Hard work leads to ‘Easy SUCCESS: Portuguese American Mom Publishes first cookbook”

Check out today’s Fall River Herald News for some great info about my new book and a couple of the recipes you’ll find when it’s released on June 16th, like Shrimp Mozambique and my White Peach Sangria!

To read the entire copy written by the wonderful Linda Murphy, long time reporter for the Herald, click here.

The book is available at Barnes&Noble, Target, Indigo Book Sellers, BAM and Amazon.

Cookbook: Release Date June 16th!

Well, it’s finally here! After 5 years of blogging with you all, my first cookbook, “Easy Portuguese Cookbook: Recipes to Bring Home the Flavors of Portugal” is being published! Writing a cookbook has been a trip! I was first contacted by my publisher in November of 2019 with interest in turning what they see here into a book focused on Portuguese cuisine for those who have traveled to Portugal or would love to! It didn’t take me long to decide to meet the challenge!

As soon as the contracts were signed, I was off and running! Outlines and deadlines were set out for the coming months and lots of long nights and recipe testing all over the place! It has been so much fun delving into not only the recipes, but stories from my family, some long told and some newly discovered from my parents. My grandparents all passed away long before I started this site and holding on to them is something I do each time I reach back for a traditional recipe. The ability to pass on those traditions to my children in book form is something I will be forever grateful for.

The first chapter is filled with information about Portugal itself and where certain dishes are derived from. And throughout the book, readers can learn how my family uses certain recipes or when or how I learned them. I talk about my first trip to my grandmother’s village, Povoacao in St. Michael, Azores and how much the island has changed in the decades since. Sharing my culture with my American husband has been fun and that’s in there too!

Not everything in the book is traditional though, I do add some Stacy spin to some of the recipes and update a few of the classics to make them a little easier to make in today’s modern American kitchen. Recipes are easy to follow and execute. I also am well aware that not everywhere across this country has access to all the wonderful Portuguese shops that stock so many fantastic supplies, so in the book I highlight some of my favorite places to order from! If you need to make something quickly, I offer substitution solutions too!

This week the book has gone into pre-order and I couldn’t be more excited! It will be available in major book stores throughout the U.S. and Canada and can be pre-ordered now on Barnes&Noble and Amazon! So, order your copy today and visit my family’s homeland, Portugal through my eyes!

Pre-Order Today!

Stuffed Eggs (Ovos Recheados)

Twice a year at Easter and Thanksgiving I pay homage to my grandparents by making these delectable Stuffed Eggs. It’s not often that a recipe comes along that can elevate an already perfect recipe into a truly phenomenal one that you savor. But, this one fits the bill.

Growing up with amazing food at the holiday table is a privilege some may take for granted, but I knew I wanted to preserve this special dish forever. So, when I had the chance some 20 years ago to learn from my Vavó, I did. And I got more than I bargained for. My grandfather decided, as he often did, that he would need to impart his knowledge on the subject. So, there I was in my early 20’s crammed into my grandparents tiny galley kitchen learning step by step how to make one of my all time favorite holiday treats. They taught me how to easily shell a hard boiled egg, how to add the yolks to our family stuffing recipe and then how to stuff and fry up the eggs.

My grandparents passed away within a month from each other the year I was married in 2007. And so, the task of placing this cherished dish on the holiday table fell to me. Today, I will take you through that lesson step by step.

This is my basic Thanksgiving Stuffing cut in half.

To perfectly boil eggs: Place eggs in pot, cover with COLD water, bring to a boil. As soon as water comes to a full boil, cover pot and turn off heat. Keep covered for 15 minutes and drain.

To easily peel the eggs my grandfather showed me how to roll the egg gently cracking the shell and then letting it sit in cold water for a bit to allow water time to get under the thin membrane between the egg and the shell.

Cut the eggs lengthwise, like so.

Add egg yolks to the prepared stuffing. Set aside the egg whites.

Using a fork finely mash the yolks.

Using the same fork, incorporate the mashed yolks into the stuffing.

Yolks should be evenly distributed throughout the stuffing.

Using a heaping tablespoon, scoop stuffing.

Grab a white that was set aside.

Pile up the stuffing into the cut side of the egg.

With wet hands, mold the stuffing into the shape of an egg.

After filling each egg, set aside on a tray. You can continue to the next step if you are in a hurry. But, my best advice is to place this tray of these bad boys uncovered into the fridge for at least a half hour and up to 6 hours.

When you are ready to fry, add some eggs and water to a bowl and beat well with a fork. This creates an egg wash.

Place your stuffed egg into the egg wash.

Cover the egg completely in egg wash and let excess drip off.

Place a large high edged skillet over medium heat with vegetable oil. This is not the time to use olive oil. Fry eggs in skillet in batches being sure not to over crowd. Turn every couple of minutes to ensure a deep browning all the way around your eggs.

Drain on paper towels.

Once drained, pile up on a tray and serve either hot or at room temperature.


Stuffed Eggs Recipe:

  • 1/2 recipe Thanksgiving Stuffing, uncooked
  • 1 dozen eggs, hard boiled
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 cup vegetable oil, divided

Instructions:

  1. Cut hard boiled eggs length wise and add yolks to prepared uncooked stuffing and set whites aside.
  2. Mash egg yolks and incorporate with the uncooked stuffing evenly distributing the yolks throughout the stuffing.
  3. Using a heaping tablespoon add stuffing to each egg white. Using wet hands, mold stuffing onto the egg white and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place tray of eggs in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 6 hours.
  4. In a small bowl beat em3 raw eggs and water together.
  5. Heat 1/2 cup oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat.
  6. Add each prepared egg to egg wash and allow excess to drip off. Add each egg to the heated oil gently in two batches being sure not to crowd. Also be aware of splattering oil and take care not to get splattered using an oven mit.
  7. Turn eggs every couple of minutes being sure to allow good browning on all sides of egg. When egg is completely browned all the way around (about 10 minutes), remove to drain on paper towels.
  8. Add more vegetable oil to skillet and repeat until done.
  9. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

Mock Philly Cheese Steak

As a busy mom of a 7 year old boy and a 5 year old girl there is a lot of balance that has to work its way into life on a daily basis. So, when planning what to bring to a Cub Scout planning committee meeting and feeding my family, I decided to just double up! One sandwich for dinner around the table and one to travel. And the best part was, it took relatively the same amount of time. For under $12, I had dinner and a fun treat for a meeting done. Plus, there was enough left over for my husband to bring in to work the next day!

I developed this recipe a few years ago when I happened to have a pound of ground beef in the fridge and a left over loaf of Italian bread. So, today when I placed my grocery pickup order (which by the way if you have not tried grocery pickup, you really don’t know what you are missing!) I simply doubled up on my ground beef and Italian bread and I was ready to go.

Although the real Philly Cheese Steak is a thing to behold, I take a bit of a Mom-cut with this version and it is a family favorite for a quick weeknight meal. It’s also great to bring to a gathering of friends planning out a year’s worth of Cub Scout events or for game day! Not to mention this hot toasted sandwich is a really solid meal to make ahead and keep in the fridge for later in the week or even pop in the freezer for whenever. (Just be sure to cool the ground beef before refrigerating to be safe) Make fresh each time or get a family pack of meat and make 3 or 4 at a time and pull out of the freezer as needed.

Pre-heat oven while prepping.
Start with an onion.
A medium dice is nice here.
Add extra virgin olive oil to a large skillet.
Sautee onions until slightly translucent.
Grab a couple of garlic cloves.
Finely dice or put through a garlic press.
Once onions have had time to sautee some, add garlic to pan for another minute or so. Careful not to burn the garlic.
One pound of ground beef. This one is 80/20. Use which ever percentage you are comfortable with.
Salt the meat while it is raw before it goes into the pan.
Once onions become golden brown, it’s time to push them to one end of the pan to add in the ground beef. If you choose to, you could remove them from the pan and add in later. But. like I said, this is a Mom-cut version.
Break up your ground beef and start browning.
I was finding my onions were cooking a bit too much so I angled my pan to have the onions off the flame and focus more of the ground beef on top of the flame.
At this point, add in the dried oregano. Adding now helps to develop the flavor of the oregano.
Drain the fat out of the pan and incorporate the onions with the beef.
Turn off heat. Salt and pepper as desired. Let mixture cool slightly.
Lay out a large piece of foil. You want enough that you have a couple extra inches on each side of your loaf.
This is just an Italian loaf I got from Walmart for a buck.
Cut the bread, but not all the way through. The bread should look like it’s on a hinge.
Bread should be nice and soft on the inside. If you choose to, you could hollow out some of the loaf. I prefer to have the bread in tact.
Use an even layer of real mayo.
Spread it out for coverage.
Spoon on your cooked ground beef.
This is hand shredded mozzarella cheese. I always prefer hand shredded, but I wont hold it against you if you get the prepackaged stuff 🙂
You want an even coverage of both meat and cheese on top of the mayo layered bread.
Carefully close it up without breaking the hinging part of the bread.
Hold for stability. There is a lot going on here.
My foil was not extra wide or anything, so I needed to place a second sheet on top of the sandwich.
Then pinch it all closed. I like to fold it together all the way around and then pinch.
I roll up and again pinch to seal the ends.
Place on a baking sheet or pizza stone as seen here and 25 minutes later, you’ll be done.
This is best eaten hot, but it’s hard to hold hot. So, grab a clean kitchen towel to guard against the heat. And then using a serrated knife, cut into 1-1.5 inch wedges.
When it’s hot, the cheese gets all oozy, yum!

Mock Philly Cheese Steak Recipe

  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 T. olive oil
  • 1 t. dry oregano
  • 1 t. kosher salt
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 loaf Italian bread, parted
  • 1 C. Mozzarella Cheese
  • 2 T. real mayonnaise

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add olive oil. Sautee onions until translucent, add a pinch of salt. Add in garlic, sautee another minute. Move onions and garlic over to one side of pan. Add in ground beef to other side of pan and brown. Carefully drain fat from pan. Add oregano and salt and pepper to taste. Mix onions and garlic in with ground beef. Remove from heat and set aside.

For the sandwich: On a large strip of aluminum foil place bread and split leaving a “hinge” at back of loaf. Spread mayonnaise on bottom half of bread. Spread meat mixture over mayo. Liberally place cheese over meat. Close top of bread over top. Wrap tightly with an additional layer of foil, sealing all the way around bread. Place on baking sheet and then in the oven for 25 mins. Slice and serve hot. Enjoy!