Recipes Archives - Page 8 of 10

Decorated Honey Gingerbread Cookies

December 8, 2016

What would Christmas be without some decorated honey gingerbread cookies shaped like Christmas trees? These are super easy and can be done in a food processor.

Hey, hey, we’re baking again!

The way we like it, is to include our family. I can’t wait for my little one to come out and grow enough to help me with Christmas baking. I remember baking with my mum when I was little (actually we still bake together sometimes). We’d turn on the radio, sing and make some delicious cookies. I was probably slowing the whole process and annoy my mum with that. She’s a cook and is used to do everything very quickly, but she let me work at my own pace and we had a blast together.

I mostly use my husband to help me with Christmas baking these days. Aren’t I lucky to have found a man who likes to cook and bake with me?! Oh yes!

Anyway these year we’re trying new recipes and probaby some old ones that we’ve done a thousand times. One of the new ones are these lovely honey gingerbread cookies decorated with homemade royal icing. I’m not supposed to have raw royal icing, since I’m pregnant, but apparently the eggs were good and survived. We alwalys buy eggs at the same farm and store them in the fridge, so we’re reducing the risk of anything bad happening.

Okay, so I said it’s the first time I’ve made honey gingerbread cookies. Yup, I know, stupid!

Honey gingerbread cookies are actually quite traditional in Slovenia, but they are made a bit differently. They are called ‘medenjaki’, which means honey cookies in Slovene. They are spiced with similar spices, but are usually thicker and softer with a lemon and sugar glaze. I love those, they are amazing, but I’m kind of more into hard crunchy cookies right now.

I wanted to keep the honey theme though, so there’s honey in and I replaced white sugar with unrefined cane sugar, which is my absoulte favourite sweetener right after honey.

Why I love this recipe? Because it’s so easy and can be done in a food processor and if you’re not a fan of royal icing you can just skip it. They are totally delicious without is too. You can put some food coloring in and let the kids make their own colorful cookies, or make the most delicious vanilla sauce form my Hot Baked Apples with Vanilla Sauce recipe and dip them in. So many possibilities 🙂

Let’s get bakin’.

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DECORATED HONEY GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Course Dessert

Keyword christmas baking, Christmas cookies, gingerbread cookies

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes

Total Time 3 hours

Servings 60 cookies

Ingredients

HONEY GINGERBREAD COOKIES

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unrefined cane sugar
1/3 cup + 2 TBSP honey
1 egg
3/4 tsp baking soda
120 g melted butter
1 TBSP ground ginger
1 TBSP cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
big pinch of black pepper

ROYAL ICING

1 fresh egg white
1 cup icing sugar
pinch of salt

Instructions

Honey Gingerbread Cookies

Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix well with a spoon. Use your hands to knead at the end. Alternatively, you can use a food processor to make the dough come together. In that case, kneading won’t be necessary.
Refrigerate the dough for at least one hour.
Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
Leave the dough at room temperature for 10 minutes before making cookies.
On a lightly floured surface roll the dough to about 3-4mm thick and cut out the cookies.
Move them to a lined baking tray and bake for about 8 minutes (for smaller cookies. Mine were about 7,5 cm long). Adjust the time for bigger cookies.
Move them to a wire rack to cool.
Royal Icing: Beat egg white with a pinch of salt until stiff but not dry. Add icing sugar one tablespoon at a time and beat until it forms stiff peaks and you can’t feel sugar grains when rubbing it between your fingers.
It can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Decorating

When the cookies have cooled down completely put royal icing into a piping bag with a thin tip or a very small hole and decorate the way you like it. It might take a little to get the grip of it, if you've never done that, but you can do it!
Leave the icing to dry completely.

Notes

Try to use eggs that are fresh and kept in the refrigerator to minimize the risk of bacterial infection.
Keep in mind that royal icing contains uncooked eggs, so be careful not to serve them to pregnant ladies, babies, small children, or other high-risk people.

Creamy Beet Dip with Herbed Buckwheat Flatbread

December 1, 2016

Unsurprisingly, the hero of this luscious creamy beet dip is beetroot, but there’s a little something else in that makes it even sweeter and tastier. And above all a very simple buckwheat fladbread with herbs.

Happy 1st December 😀

You guys, I made the best beet dip in the world! A bold statement, I know…

It’s a dip we’ve been making for a while now. The idea was actually my husband’s. He ate a beet and corn spread in a sandwich once, so we thought to make our own version. Yes, there’s corn 🙂 and honey. Ok, you’re thinking it’s sweet, but no… It’s spicy, savory and of course sweet as well.

I’m like obsessed with beetroot lately. How can I not be, because I have like tons of it. My grandpa grows it every year, but can’t really eat all of it, so we get the rest.

Not complaining!

I’ve been using it in soooo many ways, some recipes are about to come. Can’t wait to share them with you 🙂

We all know it’s nice to have something awesome to dip into a creamy dip like this, so I made some herbed flatbreads, but since I LOVE buckwheat, I made them with buckwheat flour mixed with all-purpose flour.

It’s actually an awesome recipe for summer too, when there are many many fresh herbs in the garden. Now, we only have rosemary, oregano and thyme, but basil would also be nice. You can pick whatever you like or have at hand. I love recipes like these!

Let’s just dip into it!

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CREAMY BEET DIP WITH HERBED BUCKWHEAT FLATBREAD

Course Appetizer, Breakfast

Keyword dip, flatbread, yeasted bread

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 3

Ingredients

CREAMY BEET DIP

150 g cooked beets cut into chunks
115 g cooked corn or tinned corn
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp honey
black pepper
cayenne pepper
salt

HERBED BUCKWHEAT FLATBREAD

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup natural yoghurt
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup chopped herbes rosemary, oregano, thyme, basil or any other
3 cloves garlic
3/4 tsp salt
pinch of pepper

Instructions

Creamy Beet Dip

Place all ingredients in a food processor and mix untill smooth. Add more seasoning if necessary.

Herbed Buckwheat Flatbread

Mix all ingredients by hand or in a food processor until it comes together. The dough should be soft, but not sticky. Add more flour if necessary.
Divide the dough into 6 balls and roll them out to about 2-3 mm thick.
Heat a grill pan until it is very hot. No need for oiling it. Grill each rolled fladbread for about 1-2 minute on each side. You should see g bubbles form. If one big bubble over the entire flatbread forms, press it down to release air.
Serve hot or cold.

Sober Festive Sangria

November 24, 2016

I love non-alcoholic festive sangria, especially when it tastes like winter with all its beautiful mixed fruits and Christmas spices. It’s the easiest thing in the world to do and you can prepare it ahead of time.

I love a non-alcoholic festive sangria, especially when it tastes like winter with all its beautiful mixed fruits and christmas spices. It’s the easiest thing in the world to do and you can prepare it ahead of time.

Anyone up for a festive drink?

I know, I know, it’s not Christmas yet, but we’re slowly getting in the mood. I’m already making plans for Christmas baking and seeing some lovely Christmas market. Oh, I love those! I’m not a fan of crowded places, but Christmas markets are an exception. They don’t really make sense if you’re there all alone. The great thing about them is the smell. The smell of spices and sugar accompanied by Christmas lights and friends.

I don’t know if you guys remember, but I’ve been angry about Christmas stuff being in the stores and on the streets way too early in one of the last years post. I’m over it this year… can’t really wait for December to come with all its perks.

So super excited about the almost festive time I made this very simple festive sangria with pear juice. If you prefer apple juice, that’s fine, use it. Or make it half-half. It’s not really a stick-to-it-100% type of recipe, you can totally make it your own. I’m using pear juice because I love it and I don’t drink it that often. It’s kindda hard to get in the stores, so juicing fresh pears is often the only way to go. I cheated this time 😉

Alcohol lovers, there’s none in the recipe, but if you’re up for a boozy version, you can try adding wine or some fruit liqueur.

Now, obviously there are winter spices in here! OBVIOUSLY. You can’t go without 🙂

I added some cinnamon sticks, star anises and cloves for that Christmasy feel and some ginger and peppercorns for a nice spicy kick. I just realised there probably aren’t many thing I don’t put peppercorn in, some baked goods and some cocktails, otherwise it’s there. All the time. It’s getting worse with the pregnancy, I simply can’t eat anything witout it. And apparently, I can’t drink it either. Remember the Mulled Mandarin Juice. You can find those there, too 🙂

You might think I’m crazy, but they actually make a big difference, so please please don’t leave them out. Or at least don’t tell me 😛

The fun thing about this recipe is, you make it a day ahead and when you’re ready to party, take it out of the fridge, add some sparkling water and you’re on 😀

I love simple and quick recipes!

I love non-alcoholic festive sangria, especially when it tastes like winter with all its beautiful mixed fruits and christmas spices. It’s the easiest thing in the world to do and you can prepare it ahead of time.

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SOBER FESTIVE SANGRIA

Course Cocktail

Keyword cocktail, mocktail

Prep Time 15 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

3 cups pear juice
2 cups sparkling water
2 pears
2 apples
2 oranges
1 pomegranate
3 cinnamon sticks
3 star anises
6 slices of ginger
1 tsp peppercorns
5 cloves

Instructions

Slice pears, apples, and oranges into 3mm slices or chunks as big as you like.
Remove seeds from the pomegranate.
Place all fruit, cinnamon sticks, star anises, ginger, peppercorns, and cloves in a big bowl or a jar and pour over pear juice.
Keep in the fridge for at least 5 hours or overnight.
Before serving to add cold sparkling water.

Simple Birthday Chocolate Hazelnut Pavlova

November 15, 2016

Beautiful layers of crispy and chewy meringue, decadent chocolate ganache and fluffy whipped hazelnut cream are what make this delicious chocolate hazelnut pavlova cake worth celebrating this blog’s first birthday.

Beautiful layers of crispy and chewy meringue, decadent chocolate ganache and fluffy hazelnut whipped cream are what make this delicious chocolate hazelnut pavlova cake worth celebrating this blog's first birthday.

I can’t believe it’s been a year already 😀

You heard me… this blog is still a baby, but deserves a special cake with something sparkling on top! Nothing healthy at all in this recipe, only pure indulgence. Okay, I might be exagerating, this cake is actually not nearly as sweet as cakes can be, it’s just fluffly and crunchy and chocolatty and nutty all at the same time. What can be better?

Before showing you the recipe, there are some words I need to say about my first year of blogging. It’s been fantastic. It started as my own personal cookbook, but it soon turned out, I love doing it, bringing you new delicious recipes every week. Well, almost every week, I’ve had some ups and downs 🙂 Meeting lots of new friends who share the passion for food and photography was absolute fun and hopefully more are coming my way 🙂

Thanks to everyone supporting me, trying my recipes, sharing love and being the most incredible community. I love y’all 🙂

The second aspect of this blog in my oppinion is the photography. It’s my way of relaxing and connecting with the food I prepare. Can be stressful from time to time, but the results are what makes it all worth it.

If you check my earlier recipes the photos are not that great. But as soon as I started blogging I realised good photos are a must, not just for all of you, but also for my own good feeling. So I made sure to improve and I still am. I’ve always been a very visual person and tried my work to look the best it can at agiven time. I believe practicing and taking some lessons and sometimes being hard on myself have really helped my food photography.

Well, I know you’re waiting for me to tell you something about this charming chocolate hazelnut pavlova and stop babbling about the sentimental crap 😛

I think the first birthday celebration needs a special cake, something I don’t make on a regular basis. In fact I’ve never made pavlova before, but always wanted to try. So there it was, the perfect opportunity. I’ve had some extra eggwhites in the fridge from making a traditional Slovenian dish called ‘mlinci’ and a full pantry of hazelnuts and crispy chocolade balls.

First attempt in making the meringue was a total disaster. It looked great when I turned off the oven, but I forgot to carefully read the recipe, which happens to me way too often. You’re supposed to leave the meringue in the oven to cool down, not take it out like a sponge cake. Ups, what a failure, the meringue totally collased and despite being delicious it wasn’t very flattering. So I did it again and succeded 🙂

Don’t be affraid of making meringue, like I was for a long time. It is very easy to make. However, if you’re awful at following direction I suggest you keep it together this one time, because every little small detail matters. There are some recomendations and warning in the notes below the recipe. Please, read it before baking, you don’t want a collapsed soggy pavlova 😉

I’m stopping the babble now. Over and out!

Beautiful layers of crispy and chewy meringue, decadent chocolate ganache and fluffy whipped hazelnut cream are what make this delicious chocolate hazelnut pavlova cake worth celebrating this blog's first birthday.

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LAYERED CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT PAVLOVA

Course Dessert

Keyword chocolate cake, chocolate pavlova, pavlova

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Cooling time 5 hours

Total Time 6 hours 55 minutes

Servings 8 pieces of 18 cm cake

Ingredients

CHOCOLATE MERNIGUE

6 eggwhites room temperature
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup icing sugar
1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar
2 tsp cornstarch
2 TBSP cocoa powder

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

100 g semi-sweet or dark chocolate
200 ml whipping cream
pinch of salt

WHIPPED HAZELNUT CREAM

1/2 l whipping cream chilled
3 TBSP hazelnut paste can easily be made at home by mixing hazelnuts in a food processor until you get a smooth paste

TOPPINGS

50 g hazelnuts chopped
crispy chocolate balls or any other decoration
whole hazelnuts

Instructions

Chocolate meringue

Preheat the oven to 150°C. Draw two 18cm circles on a baking paper and place it on a baking tray.
Beat egg whites and a pinch of salt until stiff but not dry. Then add the icing sugar a tablespoon at a time. At the end add the lemon juice or vinegar and cornstarch. Beat gently until thick and glossy.
Add cocoa powder and fold it in gently, keeping some streaks of dark brown.
Spread the meringue evenly into the two circles.
Move into the oven and reduce the temperature to 120°C. Bake for about 90 minutes. It should look crisp on top and feel dry, but when you press it you should feel soft in the center.
Turn the oven off, open the door slightly, and leave in the oven to cool overnight.

Chocolate Ganache

Heat the whipping cream over medium heat until it starts forming small bubbles on the side, but doesn't boil. Remove from heat and add chocolate and a pinch of salt. Whisk until you get a smooth cream. Let cool at room temperature, then keep in the fridge before assembling the cake.

Whipped Hazelnut Cream

Whip the cream until it's almost stiff, but not buttery, then add the hazelnut paste and gently whip just a little more.

Assembly

Place one meringue on a cake stand, gently add half of the ganache on top, add half of the whipped hazelnut cream, and half of the chopped hazelnuts.
Continue with another layer of meringue, ganache (save a couple of tablespoons for decoration), whipped cream, and chopped hazelnuts.
Place whole hazelnuts, crispy chocolate balls and drizzle with the rest of the ganache.
Refrigerate before serving.

Notes

Some instructions for the perfect meringue:
Make sure your equipment is dry before making the meringue. Moisture stops eggwhite from aerating.
Make pavlova on a dry day. Moisture makes pavlova sticky.
Adding lemon juice and cornstarch will help pavlova keep its form.
Add sugar gradually to the eggwhites and be sure to beat the egg whites to the stiff point, but don’t overbeat them, just until the sugar has dissolved. Test if the sugar has dissolved by rubbing a little of the mixture between your fingers. You shouldn’t feel any grains. When you transfer it to the baking paper the mixture should hold its shape.
After baking keep in in the oven with dors ajar until it completely cools down to room temperature.
It’s better to overdry than under dry your meringue. If you are not sure if it is done, better dry it a little more. Soggy meringue is unusable, but a little bit too dry is not such a problem. Assemble the cake and after a day in the fridge, it will become crunchy.

Bacon Wrapped Prunes With Herbed Feta Dip

November 10, 2016

Indulgent finger food for the best party you’ll ever throw, but not without these crispy bacon wrapped prunes and a decadent herbed feta dip!

Yay, finally sharing this recipe with you!

I’ve been making it for a while now, but never got around photographing and posting it. But with the holiday season slowly arriving, I felt like, I owe you this recipe, because – yes, I’m gonna say it – it’s amazing. It’s dried fruit wrapped in bacon. Who wouldn’t love that?! 🙂

There’s a little story about how I got to this deliciousness. It happened on our honeymoon a little over two years ago. I know many people decide to go to some perfect tropical beach for their honeymoon, but we decided to make a road trip through Europe. We made over 2500 km in 16 days and saw soooo many things and sights. One of them was the lovely town of Kaunas in Lithuania. It gave out the vibe of still being stuck in the old time with all the old communist monuments and decaying facades, but that actually gave the town a really special character.

Anyway, convinced that the nightlife would be pretty much non existant we headed to the center of town. Well, we were dead wrong. It was vibrant and lively with all the people siting in the restaurants and pubs, drinking, eating and having a blast. Looked so fun that we had to join. For the first time ever we tried mulled beer. Delicious, btw! We also tried some finger food. Among other we had tiny packets of prunes wrapped in bacon that were filled with some kind of nuts. That was such a clever and incredibly delicious appetizer! Soft and chewy, but crispy on the outside and in the middle. Clever, I’m saying. I’ve been making my own version ever since.

I’m in love with this presentation, with the tree springs, holding together the bacon wrapped prunes. There’s another story behind that.

I usually spend New Year’s Eve with friends in a cabin somewhere in the wild (sometimes not so wild). One year we decided to throw a fancy dress-yo’self-very-pretty kind of New Year’s Eve party. These pretty bacon wrapped prunes were a must! Of course, we were not at home and we didn’t have toothpicks that would hold the whole thing together so we headed to the garden and cut some tree springs and solved the problem. Easy 😀 They looked so much better than with good old toothpicks. Don’t you think they look festive?

In case you are like me – always in need of some dip, here’s a recipe for a simple feta dip with fresh herbs. I used parsley and chives, because that’s what still growing in the garden, but you can add whatever you’ve got on hand.

Go ahead, try them out on the side of some mulled mandarin juice! I sure will 🙂

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BACON WRAPPED PRUNES WITH HERBED FETA DIP

Course Appetizer

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 30

Ingredients

BACON WRAPPED PRUNES

30 prunes pitted
15 thin bacon slices
25 g almonds chopped finely
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp ground sweet red pepper

HERBED FETA DIP

100 g Feta Cheese
60 g Greek-style yogurt
a bunch of herbs I used parsley and chives, chopped
pinch of pepper

Instructions

BACON WRAPPED PRUNES

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Heat a pan over medium-high heat, then add chopped almonds. Roast for a minute, until they start smelling sweet. Remove from heat and add olive oil and ground sweet red pepper. Toss around to coat the nuts and set aside too cool a little.
Cut bacon in half.
Fill the prunes with nuts and wrap them in bacon, securing ends with toothpicks.
Place them onto a baking paper-lined baking tray and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the bacon gets golden and crispy.
Best served hot.

HERBED FETA DIP

Combine all ingredients in a food processor, to get a smooth dip. Keep in the fridge before serving.

Mulled Mandarin Juice

October 27, 2016

Easy to make from scratch warm autumn mulled mandarin juice!

I really hope y’all love mandarins as much as I do. They’ve been my main food these days. A nasty cold decided to haunt me, but I was prepared…

With tons of mandarins. I mean I probably ate a few kilos of them. And I’m not exaggerating at all! I’m feeling much better now and ready to bring you another awesome recipe.

Inspired by mulled wine and apple cider, I decided to give warm drinks a little twist. I’ve added mandarins to those two drinks before, but never tried cooking mandarin juice on its own. And man, I’m sorry I didn’t!!

Don’t get me wrong, I love mulled apple cider, but it needs lots of lemon to reduce the sweetness. Well, not mandarins. Especially the sour ones. Which are my favorites, btw 🙂 There’s just a little honey or any other sweetness necessary in this recipe, or if you prefer sour drinks like me, you can omit that.

Now that we got this straight, let’s talk spices.

Cinnamon, cloves, ginger, peppercorn and star anis. That’s what I used. It’s basically what I usually used in mulled drinks, sometimes I play with flavors and add someting new, but being ill and all, I wished for something very homey and familiar. Something to make me feel like a little baby 😀

And it made me so happy I just had to share this recipe with you. I have a feeling mulled mandarin juice is gonna be my everyday drink now. Since being pregnant means, I have to be careful with what kinds of teas I drink, I was also out of warm drink options. This will be perfect to spice things up.

A little secret. I have a feeling rum would go awesomely with mulled mandarin juice, so if you can drink alcohol, try adding it after cooking. And let me know how it was 😛

I want to hear everything about your other favorite winter drinks in the comments below.

And if you want to boost your immunity, so you don’t get a cold like I did, try some Immune-Boosting Elderflower Turmeric Tea.

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MULLED MANDARIN JUICE

Course Cocktail

Keyword non-alcoholic drink, warm drink

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

600 ml 3 cups freshly squeezed mandarin juice (from about 1 kg of mandarins)
600 ml 3 cups water
2 cinnamon sticks
10 cloves
4 slices of ginger
10 peppercorns
2 star anises
1-2 TBSP honey or another sweetener optional

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a pot and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to low heat. Cook for 20 minutes.
Remove from heat and serve hot.

Pumpkin Risotto with Goat Cheese, Pancetta & Cranberries

October 20, 2016

I’m totally in love with each single bite of this delicious pumpkin risotto!

So true… Comforting and warm like a hug. Ok, I’m getting sentimental, but that’s what rainy days are all about, right? Squeezing under a soft wool blanket, watching TV or playing board games. Watching Breaking Bad and eating tons of cooked chestnut is basically all we do these evenings. I know, I know we’re so lazy! That’s what cold and rain does to us. Um, yeah, autumn is awesome. Anyone else so psyched about that?

And peeps, my weird pregnancy smell and taste is gone and I can cook as much as I want now 🙂 Happy me! My weight is probably gonna start going up more quickly now, but well, that’s supposed to happen eventually 😛 My bump is already visible and I can’t stop caressing it 🙂

Ok, enough on my prego belly. I’ve moved on from eating pasta almost every day to cooking normally, so I prepared a creamy pumpkin risotto with some delicious goodies on top.

Risotto is really a very simple dish. That’s what’s so great about it. Easy and quick to make, but add some good seasonal ingredients to it and it gets so sophisticated.

Never had a pumpkin risotto? It’s about time to start, because pumpkin adds such a nice flavor and creaminess to the risotto. What autumn recipes are all about is combining sweet with savory, so I’ve done that again. Pumpkin by itself is sweet, but I’ve added some dried cranberries on top for some sweet crunch. And who doesn’t love a little crispy panchetta and goat cheese with all of that.

This is the fanciest cozy meal I’ve had this autumn, for real!

I promise people are gonna love you for cooking them pumpkin risotto, whatever goodies you choose to put in 🙂

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Pumpkin Risotto with Goat Cheese, Pancetta & Cranberries

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

2 cups rice
6 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock
3/4 cups pumpkin purée (find recipe in the notes of my Mini Pumpkin Pizza recipe)
1 small onion , small cubes
8 pancetta slices
60 g goat cheese crumbled
4 springs thyme + some for garnish
1/3 cup dried cranberries
black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 175 °C.
Place pancetta slices on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake them for 10 minutes or until they get golden and crunchy. Transfer them to a paper towel lined plate, to remove the excess fat. When it cools crumble it. Keep the fat that is left in the baking tray for later.
Wash rice under cold water and drain.
In a sauce pan boil the stock, remove from heat and leave covered.
Place a large skillet over medium heat and add the remaining pancetta fat and if necessary add a tablespoon of olive oil. Add onions and cook for 2 minutes until they get soft. Add the drained rice and fry for additional 3-5 minutes stirring constantly. When the rice gets translucent add pumpkin purée, thyme, pinch of black pepper and 1 laddle of stock (or more). You want the rice to just be covered with liquid. Cook stirring occasionally until the liquid has dissapeared into the rice. Then add another laddle of stock. Continue doing that for about 20-25 minutes or until the rice is al dente. With the last laddle of stock add half of the pancetta crumbles.
Serve immediately and top with the rest of the pancetta crumbles, goat cheese, dried cranberries and more thyme.

Autumn Harvest Pulled Chicken Sandwich with Homemade Apple BBQ sauce

October 13, 2016

This apple BBQ sauce flavored pulled chicken sandwich topped with crazy delicious apple slaw and hazelnut yoghurt dressing is da deal!

Anyone else stuck with a whole bunch of apples in the basement and doesn’t know how to use them all?

I’m not much of a fresh apple eater, I’m simply too picky about how I like them. So stacks of sweet semi-rotten apples in the basement donated by our relatives are amost sadly waiting to be eaten.

And oh my god, what to do with all of them?!

Like I mentioned several times, I hate throwing food out, so I created a delicious autumn BBQ sauce made with fresh apples. Perfect recipe for using those not-so-good-looking apples.

And hint hint… you can make more and preserve it for later 😉 This recipe yields about 2 cups and is simple to mulitply!

I’m practically obessed with pulled pork burger, but it takes time. After seeng how awesomely Jessica from How Sweet It Is used chicken and made pulled chicken sandwich, I was inspired and made my own version with my apple BBQ sauce.

And it is delicious, I’m telling you! Soooooo simple and soooooo good 🙂 The sauce takes some time, but no effort at all.

This is like the longest named recipe I’ve probably ever made, it could actually be even longer. But I’ve made myself stop. There’s so much going on here.

The juicy shreded chicken, topped with homemade apple BBQ sauce, freshly cut slaw with apples, carrots and cabbage dressed with hazelnut yoghurt dressing.

And guess what… the sandwich is topped with some more of the delicious BBQ sauce and chillies. Heaven!

Okay, I’ll stop torturing you. Go ahead and start cooking! 🙂

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AUTUMN HARVEST PULLED CHICKEN SANDWICH WITH HOMEMADE APPLE BBQ SAUCE

Course Main Course

Keyword beef burger, sandwich

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

PULLED CHICKEN

1 kg boneless chicken thighs
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground mustard seeds
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp black pepper

APPLE BBQ SAUCE

1 TBSP butter
1 small onion thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic chopped
4 middle-sized apples chopped into 1-2 cm chunks
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
2 TBSP honey
1 TBSP Worchestershire sauce
1 TBSP smoked paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground mustard seeds
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon

APPLE SLAW

1 big apple
1 big carrot
1/4 big cabbage head

SLAW DRESSING

150 g Greek-style yogurt about 3/4 cup
3 TBSP ground hazelnuts
1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of black pepper

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS

6 soft burger buns
chopped parsley
sliced chilies

Instructions

Apple BBQ Sauce

Place a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat and melt the butter. Add onions and wait for a few minutes to get golden, then add garlic and stir for about a minute. Then add apples, water, and apple cider vinegar, cover, and reduce to medium heat. Cook covered for about 10 minutes or until apples start getting softer.
Uncover and add the rest of the ingredients, mix well, and let gently simmer for about 30 minutes or until most of the apples have fallen apart.
Mix in a blender to get the silky smooth texture.

Pulled chicken

In a big bowl mix all spices together and add chicken thighs. Make sure to coat all the meat with the spice blend.
Place a large pan over high heat and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Cook chicken for 4-5 minutes on each side (cook time will depend on the thickness of the thighs). Make sure the chicken is cooked through before taking it off the pan.
Transfer it to a clean plate and shred it using forks.
Return the shredded chicken to the same pan you used before and add 1/2 cup of apple BBQ sauce (or more if it seems dry) and cook for a minute.

Apple Slaw

Cut the veggies into thin slices. Mix all ingredients for the dressing together.
Toss the veggies with the dressing.

Assembly

Cut burger buns into half and fill them with pulled chicken and apple slaw. Add more apple BBQ sauce on top and top with chopped parsley and chilly slices.

Notes

This recipe was inspired by Saucy Chicken Sandwiches by How Sweet It Is.

Pumpkin Soup with Balsamic Glazed Onions + A Big Announcement

October 5, 2016

Warm, sweet and spicy pumpkin soup will be your new favorite autumn comfort food!

Omg, it’s been so long since my last post.

So sorry for that, but I’ve had a perfectly good reason. Actually the best reason in the world. We’re having our first little baby in April! 🙂 ♥ How awesome is that! I still can’t believe it’s happening, but we’re happy and excited and can’t wait to meet our tiny bundle.

I haven’t had any major pregnancy discomforts, but one that affected my blogging: I wasn’t able to cook for a month or smell any strong smelling food. Or look at food photos. I’m still struggling with fresh veggies (which I would normally love so much!), but most of the troubles went away now that I’m in my second trimester.

I’ve been craving sweet food a lot. Not sweets, but sweet savoury food like root veggies and pumpkins. So they’re on the menu a lot these days. One of my all time autumn favorites is definitely pumpkin soup.

What makes pumpkin soup so amazing is its natural sweetness in combination with chillies. Remember how chillies go perfectly with chocolate… well, it’s the same with pumpkin. So don’t skip on it. Seriously! Add less if you’re not into spicy stuff, adding at least a little will make all the difference.

I don’t like adding much to my simple pumpkin soup recipe. No stock or herbs. Water, garlic, chilli flakes, salt and pepper are enough. I’m using pumpkin purée as my base. If you’d like to make your own check the notes in the Mini Pumpkin Pizzas recipe. A good variety of pumpkin or squash is crucial, so pick one that you absolutely love.

For me that’s hokkaido or any other with simmilar sweetness.

A very sweet pumpkin soup like this need a counterbalance, so I added balsamic glased onions with sage on top. I could eat these onions on their own, they are sooooooo good.

I’m letting you in on a little secret. I’m dreaming about autumn all year round. I love all seasons, especially when they’re just starting. All the fresh new produce and the feel of change.

But autumn is my favourite. There’s nothing like the magical feel of cold and warmth at the same time. And all the sweet produce it comes with. Yup, best season ever! I’m one of those strange people who love cold and rain 🙂

Now I’m off to warm myself with a bowl of this delicious pumpkin soup!

Warm, sweet and spicy pumpkin soup will be your new favorite autumn comfort food!

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Pumpkin Soup with Balsamic Glazed Onions

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

Pumpkin soup:

4 cups pumpkin purée
3 cups water (depending on desired consistency)
1 TBSP olive oil
3 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 tsp chilli flakes (add less if you prefer a less spicy version)
salt by taste
pepper by taste

Balsamic glased onions:

1 medium sized red onion
1 TBSP olive oil
6 sage leaves
1/2 cup water
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
salt by taste
pepper by taste

Other topping options:

crème fraîche
pumpkin seeds
pumpkin seed oil
chives

Instructions

Balsamic glased onions:

Cut the onion in half and remove the skins. Slice it into 3-5 mm thin slices.
Place a skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Add the onions and sage and stir to cover them with oil.
Cook uncovered for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally, until the onions get translucent and a bit softer.
Add water, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and cover the skillet. Continue cooking over low-medium heat for 20 minutes or until the onions get soft.
Uncover and cook over medium-high heat for additional 5-10 minutes to lose the excess moiture and caramelise the onions. Stir occasionally to check they are not burning.

Pumpkin soup:

Place a pan over medium heat and add olive oil. Add garlic and cook until it gets golden.
Add pumpkin puree, water, chilli flakes, salt and pepper and continue cooking until the soup boils.

Decorating:

Pour hot soup into bowls and decorate with balsamic glased onions. You can add crème fraîche, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin seed oil and chives if you like.

Warm, sweet and spicy pumpkin soup with balsamic glased onions will be your new favorite autumn comfort food! Click to find the whole recipe or pin and save for later!

Roasted Tomato Galette with Olive Tapende

August 25, 2016

The sweetest most delicious tomato galette honoring the season of homegrown tomatoes.

This is one of my favorite dishes in the entire world and I’m not exaggerating.

I’ve been making it for a couple of years now and I’ve perfected the recipe in the meantime.

I’ve talked about my love of tomatoes a lot and roasting them like in the Simple Fish Slider with Roasted Garlic Sauce. The basic technique of roasting tomatoes is the same as in the slider recipe.

But for this beautiful galette we’re gonna roast them TWICE. Yep, that’s right. First roasting helps the tomatoes loose excess moiture and the second one brings all the components together and adds extra sweetness to the tomato galette.

Isn’t this awesome?

You could easily use big tomatoes as well, but make sure, they loose most of their moisture after the first roasting, otherwise you’ll get a soggy crust.

And we don’t want that!

The crust should be flacy and crunchy, hence the pre-roasting. Important step – don’t leave it out!

This tomato galette is filled with so many other ingredients that complement the tomato.

Like olives, anchovies, fresh herbs like basil and olive oil.

All of those incredible ingredients in one dish 🙂 Perfection…

Let’s roast some tomatoes!!!

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ROASTED TOMATO GALETTE WITH OLIVE TAPENADE

Yields one 28-30 cm (11-12 inch) galette.

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Keyword blackberry pie, blood orange tart, tomato pie, tomato tart

Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients

CRUST

1 1/4 cup wholegrain spelt or wheat flour
60 ml ice-cold water refrigerated for a while
1/2 tsp salt
110 g ice-cold butter cubed

TAPENADE

1 cup green olives pits removed
5 dried tomatoes
5 anchovies
1 TBSP pine nuts
a handful parsley
a handful chives
a handful basil
olive oil

FILLING

3 cups cherry tomatoes 600-800g
parmesan
3 TBSP olive oil
salt
pepper
1 egg
1 TBSP cold water

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 190 °C

Crust

Combine butter and flour in a food processor to get a dry mixture. Add salt and water and pulse until the dough starts to form a ball, but not any longer to not overheat the dough. Wrap it in plastic foil and store it in the fridge for an hour.

Roasted cherry tomatoes

Halve the tomatoes, cover with olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss to spread the seasoning. Place cut-side up on a baking tray covered with baking paper and bake for about 30 minutes or until the tomatoes get a nice golden color and have lost a lot of their moisture.

Tapenade

Chop parsley, chives, and basil into smaller chunks and place them in a food processor. Add olives, dried tomatoes, anchovies, pine nuts, and 4-5 TBSP olive oil. Pulse to get an almost smooth texture. Add more olive oil if necessary.
Turn the oven up to 220 °C.

Galette

Roll the dough to about 3mm thick circle. Spread the tapenade over the dough, but leave a clean 2-3cm edge. Cover with roasted tomatoes and fold the edges in over the tomatoes.
In a small bowl beat an egg with a TBSP of cold water and spread thinly over the crust edges.
Sprinkle the galette with some grated parmesan and a little pepper.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until the crust is golden and crunchy.

Notes

Dough recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

No-Churn Melon Sorbet with Basil

August 11, 2016

No icecream machine, no problem! This super easy two ingredient melon sorbet needs no icecream machine, but is creamy and delicious anyway.

Super creamy and rich melon sorbet spiced with just a hint of basil.

I can’t believe something so good can come out of freezing a simple fruit like melon. Yup, that’s right, I just described the entire recipe.

But, really it is that simple.

I was never a big fruit person. I mean, I loved the taste, but somehow I wasn’t very fond of biting into them.

Still am a little picky when it comes to that. Much less, but still…

Blending fruit into awesome new foods was a great alternative. One of the first memories of blended fruit dessert is a strawberry and cream blended drink. Which was super delicious and creamy. You should totally try that sometimes, if you haven’t already 🙂

Freezing a blended fruit is the next stage of deliciousness 🙂

And most of all, you don’t really need all that much. Mostly just fruit, some water, if the fruit doesn’t have high water content, maybe some sweetener and that’s it.

Why I love this melon sorbet?

Because it’s made only with melon and basil. Melon is made mostly of water and you don’t need to add extra. If the melon is ripe enough it is so sweet, that it doesn’t require any extra sweetening.

And since I’m greatly obsessed with herbs, I just had to add some. Basil is the right way to go. Works so well and adds more summery flavors! 🙂

Oh, how cool does it look when you serve it in a melon shell. Awesome for a garden party 🙂 You can freeze it in a shell directly if you are serving it immediately or transfer in to the shell right before showing it to your guests.

I’m getting hungry! Are you?

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NO-CHURN MELON SORBET WITH BASIL

Course Dessert

Keyword ice cream

Prep Time 10 minutes

Freezing time 6 hours

Total Time 6 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 ripe melon of any kind, spooned out into chunks, frozen for 1-2 hours
20-30 fresh basil leaves

Instructions

Place the frozen melon chunks and fresh basil into a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Keep beating until you get a smooth and creamy consistency.
Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until firm, for about 3-4 hours.

Notes

If you have an ice cream maker, prepare the mixture without pre-freezing the melon. Cool it in the fridge for an hour and make it as per instructions.

Pesto Pasta Salad with Crispy Bacon

July 27, 2016

There is no summer without a pesto pasta salad topped with a dash of crispy bacon!

Omg, I can’t believe I haven’t made a pasta recipe yet!!!

Banging my head against a wall right now…

I’m like the hugest fan of pasta in any shape or form. Ok, I’d probably choose any pasta over fettuccine, not fan of those – except homemade!

Today we’re making a freaking pesto pasta salad with crispy bacon, folks! And we’re making homemade pesto. How exciting is that!

I never, never, never buy pesto. It’s the easiest thing you can make, why buy it. I even have a trick for winter, when there’s no fresh basil. Every year I try to keep some basil in a pot in the kitchen over winter, but it ALWAYS dyes. 🙁 Boo hoo!

SIMPLE LONG-KEEP PESTO

So here’s the quick tip. Make a simple oil and salt only pesto at the peak of the season. Combine basil leaves with some salt and oil in a food processor and chop it up. It keeps in the fridge for over a year, but you’ll really need to be generous on salt otherwise it can spoil quickly.

That’s also my prefered metod of preserving basil. The taste is much more genuine than the dried one.

So, I want my salads to be fresh with loads of veggies, but there always have to be a goodie. Without an exeption! You know, the piece of feta cheese that’s basically the only reason you’re even eating a Greek salad. Or the pickle you’re dying to fish out of a Russian salad. Or apples in my delicious Millet and Carrot Salad with Creamy Almond Dressing. You see, every salad needs a goodie.

And here it’s CRISPY BACON!

I’m pretty sure my husband loves me more on days when I serve him bacon 🙂

It’s a perfect salad to serve at a picnic. It’s got pasta, tomatoes, bell peppers, mozzarella, pesto and bacon.

Refreshing but filling…

Who wouldn’t love that?!

Not only is this pasta salad super simple and obviously SOOO delicious, but it’s also vibrant and beautiful!

How awesome is that, right?

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PESTO PASTA SALAD WITH CRISPY BACON

Course Salad

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

PESTO (~3/4 CUP)

big handful basil
3 TBSP almonds
60 g parmesan
2 cloves garlic
olive oil
pepper
salt

PASTA SALAD

500 g whole grain pasta
basil pesto
500 g cherry tomatoes halved
2 yellow or red bell peppers chopped
150 g small mozzarella balls halved
100 g bacon
juice of 1/2 lemon
olive oil
salt
pepper
basil leaves for garnish

Instructions

Pesto

Combine basil, almonds, parmesan, and garlic in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add olive oil one tablespoon at a time and mix until smooth. You'll probably need around 8 tablespoons. Season with salt and pepper.

Pasta salad

Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and add pasta. Cook until al dente and rinse under cold water.
Place bacon strips into a large skillet and cook over low heat. When the meat starts to get dark red turn the stripes around with tongs. If there’s too much grease in the skilled, spoon it out. The bacon is done when it’s dark red on both sides. Move the stripes onto a plate covered with a paper towel and wait a couple of minutes until it crisps up. Then use your hands to break it apart into small pieces.
Put the pasta in a bowl and add the pesto. Mix it well.
Add tomatoes, peppers, mozzarella, half of the bacon, and lemon juice and mix well.
Season with salt and pepper and add a drizzle of olive oil if necessary.
Top with remaining bacon and basil leaves.

No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake

July 21, 2016

What better way to enjoy summer but with this melt in your mouth no-bake blueberry cheesecake!

First let me brag a little. My broken leg is getting much better. I’ve been cycling, swimming, dancing… It feels very liberating to be able to move normally.

And to be able to hold stuff in my hands. What?

Yeah, when you’re using crutches it’s hard to even bring your meal to the table, go figure. Don’t get me wrong, I had my highly developed methods to do this, but I’m glad to be rid of them. 🙂 🙂

Now to the no-bake blueberry cheesecake…

Let’s admit it. Noone want’s to bake a cake in the crazy summer heat. But we still want cake, right?

A light fluffy refreshing cheesecake that melts in your mouth.

All you need is your favorite cookies. If you like chocolate chip, go for it! You could even use Graham crackers (don’t forget to add a little sugar or honey if you use those). I’m using butter cookies, yum!

I’m ashamed to admit, but the first time I’ve tried cream cheese frosting was three years ago in Norway, when I had their famous carrot cake. It was enough to become obsessed with it. This cream cheese filling is made similarly to that frosting.

Only it contains a secret ingredient. One that I shouldn’t really be eating, because my body doesn’t process it well. But once in a while it’s fine to sin. It’s not sin if it’s good, is it?

…

Yoghurt 🙂

I added it, because it gives the cheesecake a little freshness and sourness to the filling.

Oh yeah and did I mention the filling is freaking creamy and not overly sweet. The sweetnes actually depends more on the cookies and the fruit you use.

As for the fruit, you could use any kind that you like. We are blueberry freaks over here, so we can’t resist them and their little blue faces.

Or the cheesecake filling for that matter. Or the no-baking part.

Ah, all of it 😀

Go on, treat yourself!

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NO-BAKE BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE

Course Dessert

Keyword no-bake pie

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

CRUST

200 g cookies any kind you like
30 g butter or more, depends on the type of cookies (2 TBSP)

FILLING

50 g butter (3 1/2 TBSP )
100 g cream cheese
3 TBSP honey
50 g Greek-style yogurt regular yogurt is also fine
1/4 tsp vanilla seeds
zest of 1/4 lemon

TOPPING

100 g / 1 cup fresh blueberries

Instructions

Crust

Use a food processor to grind up the cookies or crush them in a zip bag with a rolling pin.
Melt the butter for the crust and mix it with cookie crumbs. The mixture should be sandy but feel a little grease when you pinch it. Add more melted butter if necessary.
Press the mixture onto the bottom of the 18-20 cm (7-8 inch) pie or cake pan and let it cool in the fridge. If you are using a cake pan, you can carefully remove the sides of the pan before cooling the crust.

Filling

With an electric whisk beat butter to create a light and fluffy texture.
Add cream cheese and honey and whisk until well combined.
Add yogurt, vanilla seeds, and lemon zest and whisk a little more.

Assembly

Fill the crust with the filling and top with fresh blueberries.
Store in the fridge. Serve at room temperature.

Notes

You can easily replace blueberries with any other fruit.

Want another no-bake dessert? Here it is:

Spring Strawberry Layer Cake in a Glass

Lemony Tomato Gazpacho

July 13, 2016

This easy lemony tomato gazpacho recipe will save the hot days, when you don’t feel like cooking.

Use Your Noodles - Lemony Tomato Gazpacho

I love watching my tomatoes grow. It’s an obsession.

Some people go for a morning walk in the forest, I take a stroll in the garden to check what’s grown overnight.

So now I’m anxiously waiting for my tomatoes to ripen and then I can eat them like apples. That’s my favorite way!

I even have a photo from when I was little, sitting in the garden and eating a whole tomato. Good times 🙂

This easy lemony tomato gazpacho recipe will save the hot days, when you don't feel like cooking.

A while ago I attended an awesome workshop organized by the culinary & lifestyle magazine Radegunda and guess what… all the dishes we were making were based on tomatoes.

Which means I was in heaven 🙂

We were making all kinds of stuff… and eating them, which was the best part, for sure!

Inspired by the workshop and the anticipation of homegrown tomatoes I created this simple 5-minute tomato gazpacho.

Head on to the fridge or the garden, whatever’s closer, and get some fresh vegetables. Chop them up, blend for a minute or two and you’ll get the most refreshing lunch you’ll have this summer.

Best part of this recipe is the lemon zest. It makes all the difference. Don’t skip on it, but be sure to buy organic lemons.

Hungry yet?

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LEMONY TOMATO GAZPACHO

Course Appetizer, Soup

Keyword fresh soup, gazpacho, tomato gazpacho

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

8 tomatoes
1 cucumber peel if you are looking for nice red color
1 red or yellow pepper seeds and stem removed
1 medium-sized onion peeled
3 cloves garlic peeled
1 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
black pepper
salt

Instructions

Chop the vegetables into chunks.
In a blender, mix together all ingredients, until you get a smooth soup.
Pour into cups or bowl and serve cold.

Notes

Keep the vegetables in the fridge for a couple of hours before making the soup.

Also try this refreshing summer treats:

Minty Watermelon Slushie Drink

Roasted Peach and Strawberry Fizz

Peach and Celery Ice Lolly

Minty Watermelon Slushie Drink

July 6, 2016

A simple, 2-ingredient refreshing watermelon slushie drink with mint.

Use Your Noodles - Minty Watermelon Slushie Drink

Hi, there!

It’s been a while since you’ve heard from me. I’ve had a bad gum infection with one week of high fever. I couldn’t eat anything but blended food. Luckily it’s almost over and I can tranfer to harder food. I’m totally feeling like a little baby while I’m writing this 🙂

So I was living of drinks like this watermelon slushie or roasted peach and strawberry fizz. Not complaining, but I wouldn’t mind biting into some chrisp bacon 🙂

A simple, 2-ingredient refreshing watermelon slushie drink with mint.

We’ve been having beautiful sunny summer days over here. Like perfect day, not to hot, not to rainy. Just perfect. Note: I was resting inside with fever. Not complainging, no.

And what says summer like a nice big juicy watermelon. It is perfect as is, but it’s even more amazing in combination with fresh mint. Trust me, you’re gonna be a huge fan when you try it!

I mean, look at this intensive red color. Like you can resist… I know I can’t. Wait a second, I’m gonna go whip one up.

…

Done!

It’s so easy and the best part is, you don’t even need to remove the seeds. The seeds of the watermelon are packed with vitamins and minerals. It would be such a waste to remove them.

I’m usually throwing the seeds out, because they are to hard to eat, but if you blend the watermelon that’s not really necessary.

And you thought you would have to work for this drink 😉