Carrot Cake #1

When the owner of MojeWypieki says this is the best carrot cake you've ever eaten, then... it really is the best carrot cake you'll ever eat, if you decide to prepare it. What a taste, my Godness! I can't believe how quickly did this cake disappear! I'm lucky I managed to snap some pictures for You!

This is a must-bake. It looks wonderful, it is possible to decorate it in many different ways, it can also be served as a birthday cake. 

What's more, the wonderful taste - thanks to all the spices - gives it a little bit an aroma of Christmas... :)

Here is the source, I changed it just a little bit :)

Before baking:

• This cake is for a small springform (diameter -> 20 cm), if You wish to make it much bigger, it is neccessary to double all the ingredients.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 2/3 glass of flour
• 1/2 glass of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of cinammon
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/3 glass of oil 
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 glass of walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 glass of chopped pineapple (fresh or tinned one)
• 1 full glass of ground carrots

For the filling&top:

• 250g of philadelphia cheese
• 6 tablespoons of butter (room temperatured)
• 1,5 glass of powdered sugar, sieved
• 1/2-1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Decoration ideas:

• Any pattern desired made of cinnamon powder or cocoa
• Walnuts
• Edible carrots
• Chocolate flowers
• ... :)

Preparation:

1. All the ingredients needs to be room temperatured.
2. Take a springform, grease it and put baking paper all over. Set aside.
3. Take one big bowl, sieve into it all the 'dry ingredients' inside (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, spices)
4. In another bowl, beat eggs and oil.
5. Mix both bowls, add carrot, walnuts, pineaples and stir precisely with a spoon.
6. Pour the dough into the springform and bake in 175C for 30-40 minutes (to the point when the toothpick comes out dry).
7. Set aside, in the springform, to let it cool down.
8. Meanwhile, prepare the filling&top.
9. Take a mixer and its bowl, put all the ingredients inside and mix till bright. (It is advisable firstly to add 1/2 teaspoon of the extract and check if it isn't already too strong).
10. When the cake cooled down completely, open the springform and cut the cake lengthways into two pieces.
11. Put half of the filling on the first piece of cake, cover with the other one, distribute the remaining filling on the top and decorate.
12. Keep in the fridge (though the filling is strong and will remain as beautiful as it is in a room temperature for a quite long time).
13. Bon Appetit ! :)

Chicken Soup

Best of all! Why? Explanation in 2 words - 'Mum's kitchen' ;) It is even said that this is the first and sometimes the only soup that children like ;) It is very easy to prepare, very tasty and healthy (it helps to cure for instance cold and flu ;) )!

Chicken soup became our traditional meal :) We eat it every Sunday :) I do recommend!

P.S. It is not a spider on the spoon, it is a lamp on the ceiling ;)

Ingredients:

• 2kg fresh chicken
• 1 package of filini pasta 

vegs:

• 3 big carrots
• 1-2 parsley(s) (without leaves)
• 1/3-1/2 celery
• 1 leek

spices:

• some lovage leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon of vegeta (or more if preferred)
• 1/2 tablespoon of sea salt
• 2-3 allspice grains
• 2-3 pepper grains
• 1-2 bay leaves

Optionally:

• Chicken soup cube (like Knorr's)
• Maggi

Preparation:

1. Wash the chicken, cut out all the fat, tripe, etc. and throw it away. 
2. Using a big knife, cut the chicken into 2 pieces (or smaller if preferred, it will shorten the time of preparation).
3. Take a big pot, put chicken inside and fill completely with water. 
4. Add pinch of salt and start boiling (the entire boiling will take around 1,5 hour).*
5. During that time, prepare all the vegs - wash, peel and chop them if necessary.
6. At some point a ,,weird" foam will start appearing on the top of the water. Using a spoon, take it out and throw away.
7. When the foam stops appearing, add spices.
8. After at least 45 minutes of boiling, add vegetables and continue boiling. 
9. In the meantime prepare the pasta, as the instruction on the packaging says. When done, put in a colander and pour cold water on it (it will prevent the pasta from being too sticky).
10. It is good to check if the chicken is ready - take it out from the soup, put on a big place and cut into smaller pieces, checking if it isn't raw inside (put it back in the soup).
11. When done, serve with pasta, carrot pieces and parsley leaves.
12. Bon Appetit! :)

* Here - optionally and especially if the chicken isn't wonderfully fresh - you can put the chicken in a pot with water, add salt (1/2-1 teaspoon) and leave it for around an hour. After that time, change the water completely, add some salt again and continue preparing the soup as the following steps say.

Barley Soup (Krupnik)

Well-known Polish soup, boiled on vegetable/chicken stock with barley :) So easy, standard, tasty and filling, great for children :) 

Recipe from my Mum :)

Ingredients:

• 3 litres of water
• 500g of chicken breasts
• 3-4 big carrots
• 5 potatoes
• 1-2 parsleys
• 1/2 or 1/4 of a celery
• 1/2 onion or 1 green part of a leek
• 3-4 bay leaves
• 3-4 allspice pieces
• 150-200g of barley
• 4 tablespoons of ghee
• 1-3 teaspoons of black, ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• vegeta
• chopped parsley(green part, leaves) or dill (optional, though worth adding)

Preparation:

1. Take a big pot. Put water inside.
2. Wash chicken breasts, cut into cubes, add to the pot, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Start boiling (around 10-15 minutes on an average heat).
3. Using a spoon take out the 'foam' from the top of the soup and throw it away.
4. Wash all the vegetables. Peel and throw away the skins.
5. Cut carrots, parsley and onion/leek into slices, potatoes and celery into cubes.
6. When the water in the pot boils, add onion/leek to the pot, chopped celery and parsley. Boil for 15 minutes on an average or low heat.
7. Add carrots and potatoes and continue boiling.
8. Add 3-4 tablespoons of ghee, bay leaves, allspice and barley. Stir and keep boiling. Stir all the time for 5 minutes so that the barley doesn't burn.
9. Boil for 30 minutes and - if needed - season with vegeta and pepper.
10. Add chopped parsley or dill. It is also possible to sprinkle a particular plate with parsley or dill, it's not necessary to add it to the entire pot with the soup.
11. Bon Appetit! :)

Carrot Salad

Refreshing :) Perfect for a hot day :) Extremely easy. It might be sour or sweet, depending on a personal taste. 

Recipe is my own idea.

Ingredients:

• 3 big carrots
• 2-3 lemon wedges
• 1 grapefruit
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 2-5 teaspoons of sugar

Preparation:

1. Wash, peel and grate the carrots. Put them in a big bowl.
2. Wash lemon, cut into wedges, add to the bowl.
3. Wash the grapefruit, peel and cut into wedges. Add to the bowl.
4. Add lemon juice and - step by step - sugar, stir, try. Add as much sugar necessary for you.
5. Bon Appetit :)

Carrot Cake

The best carrot cake I've ever eaten. Even my family was surprised when they tried it. A definite must-do!

The recipe comes from my friend (greets!). She's got it that recipe from her friend who is a landlady, owning a hostel in Polish mountains(https://www.facebook.com/SchroniskoJaworzec), pampering her guests with that cake ;) 

Ingredients:

• 4 big eggs
• 1,5 glasses of sugar
• 2 glasses of flour
• 3/4 glass of oil
• 1 good teaspoon of gingerbread spice
• 1 good teaspoon of cinnamon spice
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 2-3 glasses of grated carrot

Optional ingredients - decoration:

• powdered sugar
• icing sugar (for example from that recipe, but lemon here, with carrot cake, is optional)
• chocolate glaze

Preparation: 

1. Take a mixer and its bowl. Put eggs inside the bowl and mix to get a fluffy, bright foam.
2. Without stopping the mixer, add sugar, flour, oil, gingerbread spice and cinnamon as well as baking powder and soda. Mix till all the ingredients link.
3. Add carrot, stir.
4. Start preheating the oven to 130C.
5. Take (preferably) a rectangular pan, grease it and put the baking paper inside.
6. Pour the dough to the pan.
7. Put the cake inside the oven, increase the temperature to 170C and bake for 35-45 minutes to the dry toothpick.
8. When finished, leave the cake in turned off, opened oven for a while.
9. Decorate the cake.
10. Bon Appetit! :)

Meatballs with rice

Might be considered as a dietary meal. Healthy, tasty, without oil. Of course it is possible to fry those meatballs instead of boiling. I do recommend!

Ingredients:

• 500g of turkey/pork mince
• 1-2 handfuls of chopped parsley or dill
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 bigger grated carrot
• 1 small chopped leek
• 1 egg
• 1/3-1/2 glass of breadcrumbs
• spices: basil, oregano, black pepper, salt, cayenne pepper, poultry/pork spice mix
• oil

Optional ingredients:

• rice
• potatoes
• vegs - broccoli, carrot, parsley, beans, sweetcorn
• light/dark meat sauce

Preparation:

1. Take a big bowl, put all the ingredients inside, mix.
2. Sprinkle with  all the spices, mix.
3. Take 2 pots, put some water on them, boil till it reaches 100C
4. Put the rice to the first pot with boiling water. Sprinkle it with salt.
5. Form small balls out of meat, put inside the second pot with boiling water and boil for around 15 minutes* on a middle heat.
6. Bon Appetit!

* It might take a little bit more or less time, depending on meat, stove, etc. Check if the meat is ready just by cutting it into 2 halves.