Posted on by Cleverona Kitchen

Featured Food Blogger of the Week: Denise Browning of Easy and Delish 

Denise Browning is the talented chef and food blogger behind Easy and Delish.  She was born and raised in Brazil where she worked as a lawyer. She migrated to the USA in 2002 after getting married to her best friend and lived in California where she attended California Culinary Academy and completed the Le Cordon Bleu program.

In 2007, her family moved to Texas and there, she continued doing what she does best – cooking!  She also started a blog called From Brazil To You which eventually became Easy and Delish.  Her blog contains two recipe indexes: one with Brazilian recipes and another American and other recipes.


1. In your opinion, what makes Brazilian cuisine unique from other world cuisines?

brazilian recipes

Brazilian cuisine is rooted in Portuguese, African, and Indigenous influences, a combination which is unique to Brazil, and which distinguishes it from other world cultures. Also, Brazil’s immense size (by far the largest and most populous Latin American country and the fifth largest in the world) and varied terrain and climate has permitted the development of a number of diverse and rich regional cuisines.

These vary from one region to the next based on which food ingredients are adapted to that region, and also according to which group had a predominant influence in that particular area. Yet even after the arrival of various immigrant groups such as Spaniards, Italians, Germans, Lebanese, and Japanese, Brazilian cuisine has continued to absorb their influences while still preserving a sense of national and regional identity.

Finally, Brazilian cuisine is unique for some of its distinctive native ingredients. The unique mix of cultures, native ingredients, and local customs are decisive factors that differentiate Brazilian cuisine from other world cuisines.

2. What prompted you to start a food blog?

In 2012, I started to write a blog, From Brazil To You, as a way of educating my U.S. born children, and also the general public, about Brazil, its food and culture. It became the most successful English-language blog dedicated to Brazilian cuisine. The blog featured Brazilian food recipes, stories, and photography of Brazil.

brazilian recipes

However, in December of 2016,  I decided to expand our horizons and explore dishes from American and other cuisines, while putting my own spin on them. Having a multicultural family made the transition quite easy — every day my children get to enjoy the great food and culture that their two home countries and also many others have to offer! Because of this, the name of our blog changed to Easy and Delish, as a way of incorporating this larger concept.

3. When you're not blogging or developing recipes, what occupies your time on a daily basis?

I have a busy life as a wife and mother of two. I also try to keep in shape, eating healthy and going to the gym regularly. One thing I envision in my future plans, is to travel more!

4. Do you miss practicing law? How is your life different from your life in Brazil?

Sometimes I do. I really enjoyed my job as a constitutional and administrative consulting lawyer in Brazil.

Life is a bit different here in the USA. There in Brazil, I was a single lawyer with my time fully dedicated to my career and to leisure. There was a bit more flexibility and time to socialize and enjoy life, for sure. Here in the USA I have experienced a more demanding routine, having to juggle my duties as a professional, wife and mother.  

5. What are the three recipes that best represent your cooking style and your kitchen?

As a multicultural family our mealtimes are diverse. So I would have to choose a dish each from Brazilian, American, and world cuisines -- all easy to prepare and which fit my busy lifestyle. To represent Brazil, I would choose Brigadeiros.

 

 

As for an American dish: our Broccoli, Ham and Cheese Pop Tarts.

Broccoli, Ham and Cheese Pop Tarts

And for a world cuisine dish (with an Italian flair), it would be our Seafood in Pesto Sauce.

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