32

This was the first year that I didn't really care much about my birthday. There wasn't a cake and everyone who sang the birthday song to me somehow didn't get to the end of it! At 32 all I really want is meaningful relationships and spending time with family and friends. So I guess I can say I had a great birthday! 

This gift was this book. You are the best! 

one year

When you marry the same person twice, there's a lot to celebrate!
It was a year ago that we brought together two families and said yes to one another. Best day ever!
Photography: Nuno Palha

this monastic life

I've been working these past few weeks from a very beautiful place, the Monastery of Tibães, near Braga. It's a massive monastery with a 100 acre property around it. In a prosper and distant past, it use to be the headquarters of the benedictine congregation in Portugal and Brasil which basically translates to a very wealthy monastery.

It's quite a difference coming from car-crazy Atlanta into Portugal's peaceful countryside and enjoy the calmness of nature and the overwhelming sense of history that these stones carry.
Oh, this monastic life! 

don't open. it's a present

I got a package in the mail today. It says: Isabel Marques (Don't open, it's a present! Pedro)
My birthday is a week away and I have the best husband ever!

country life

The beauty of living in the country side is picking ripe strawberries for breakfast. In your face city folk! 

bye bye Atlanta...

... hello seven months in Portugal! 

I left the US 12 days ago to take on a new job and left Pedro in Atlanta. Ai, as saudades! It was a hard decision to be apart for such a long time but Pedro will be coming to Portugal in July. Right now, I'm living in between Viana and Braga and still not quite settled in yet but with the help of good friends, I'll feel at home in no time.
It feels good to be back. 

The Little Tart Bakeshop

For the past year I've been working as a baker at the Little Tart Bakeshop, just the best bakeshop in the city! Never did I imagine starting work at 5am and actually enjoying it! I worked with a wonderful team of fun, open-minded and committed people that made the 10 hour days easy to handle. When we weren't working hard at making all our pastries perfect and delicious, we licked the meringue whip in the corner of shame, ate baby croissants for breakfast, wrote inspirational notes to one another on the focaccia, created imaginary scenarios for a sexy tart calendar, got high on Octane's caffeine and had lots of fun! 

This past Wednesday was my last day. I'm going to miss this...

#6 get a tattoo

I have finally checked off another item on my list of 101 things to do before 30: get a tattoo! I'm actually glad I didn't get it done earlier because I had no idea what I wanted tattooed in my body at the time and only now I am comfortable with my decision. "Oh the places you'll go" seems perfect at this time in my life: it's about change and commitment, about ups and downs, about disquietude and life!
Thank you Grace for the design.

pain au levain

Baking levain bread is a very slow process but it yields delicious bread! I followed the Ken Forkish's levain bread recipes from his book: the Overnight Country Brown rested for about 13 hours before shaping and tripled in size. The second recipe was his Feild Blend #1 that has whole wheat and rye flour and was shaped last night, rest in the fridge overnight and was baked today in the morning. I keep 2 wild yeast starters, a whole wheat flour (which I used for all these breads) and a white wheat flour starter that I use to make Pão Alentejano. I loved the flavor that comes from long fermentation and wild yeasts: it's slightly acid, with a delicious crust and soft interior.

whole wheat starter

This is how the Overnight Country Brown looked like after 13 hours of bulk fermentation.

Proofing in a basket

Lots of bread!!

Tart dinner

I've been working for the past year at the Little Tart, the best bakeshop in Atlanta, with a team of wonderful (and beautiful) people who I really admire and consider friends. Even though it is lots of hard work, we laugh, joke, sing, dance and comment on all the sexy customers that walk into the shop. And sometimes we even bake things! So my way of saying thank you for this amazing year, for this learning experience, for believing in me and for making me feel part of the Tart family was to host everyone at our place and treat them to a Portuguese dinner: arroz de cabidela, moelas, broa, pão alentejano, alheira, chouriço, migas, marmelada, leite creme, mexidos, amendoa amarga, favaios e ginginha.      

Love you guys!