Warming Up Lemons

Are you a person who freezes when the temperature falls below 10C? And a real horror starts when it falls below -10C? Are you slowly getting more and more hopeless trying to warm yourself up? Well - here is a perfect idea for an evening warm up, when you don't need to bother about driving anywhere (cause we all remember, no driving after alcohol :) ). These lemons are just a perfect match with a hot tea, during a cold, winter evening :) Easy, cheap, really works :) If you are not an adult or you would like to give it to your children - prepare it without Rum.

Why didn't my grandparents tell me about it earlier? Or - why didn't I think of it earlier? Well... better late than never ;)

Before preparing:

• Make sure your lemons are scalded precisely.
• Lemon's skin may give a little bitter taste, so the skin can be peeled to avoid it.

Ingredients:

• 0,5kg of lemons (4-5 lemons, choose those with thin skin, beautifully yellow, with no darker spots)
• 100-150g of honey
• 20-40ml of Golden Rum (or more, depending on a personal taste)
• 1-2 teaspoons of sugar (optionally)

Preparation:

1. Prepare a clean jar.
2. Wash lemons and scald them with hot, boiling water.
3. Cut both edges of every lemon, throw them away.
4. Cut lemons into slices, put inside the jar.
5. Take a glass, put honey inside, add Rum(optionally) and stir precisely.
6. If desired - add sugar and stir till it melts.
7. Pour the mixture to the jar with lemons.
8. Close the jar and leave it in peace for 2-3 days.
9. It is good to shake the jar from time to time (for example once a day).
10. Bon Appetit!! :)

W-Z Cake

A very tasty, classic chocolate-cream cake :) Looks very elegant, might play a role of a small birthday cake :) might be prepared both in adults' version (with alcohol) or without. Both mouth-watering! :)

The recipe from the sponge cake comes from this website.

And some other parts from this one and this one.

Ingredients:

Sponge Cake: (it is good for a springform cake tin but for rectangular it is adviced to double these ingredients)

• 7 eggs
• 1 glass of sugar
• 2/3 glass of baking cocoa
• 2/3 glass of flour

Whipped cream:

• 1 litre of 36% cream
• 1/4-1/2 glass of sugar
• 2-3 teaspoons of gelatin
• half of the glass of hot water

Chocolate topping:

• 100g of dark chocolate 
• 100g of milk chocolate 
• 50g of butter 

Optional Ingredients:

• almonds
• whipped cream
• nuts
• cherry liqueur
• plum/cherry jam
• around 1kg of cherries (fresh, frozen or from the liqueur)

Preparation:

Sponge cake:

1. Take a tin. Grease it(entire tin) and put baking paper inside (only on the bottom). Put aside.
2. Take a small bowl. Mix flour and cocoa inside, very precisely. If needed - sieve.
3. Start preheating the oven to 170C.
4. Take a new bowl. Separate egg yolks from egg whites, so that the whites remain in a bowl and whites in a glass (for example).
5. Stir the yolks precisely and put aside.
6. Beat the egg whites on a low rotation for 2-3 minutes till the foam appears. Gratually increasing the rotation of the mixer start adding the sugar, one tablespoon after another. Generally, beat the whites for 10 minutes.
7. Slowly start adding egg yolks (step by step, one needs to link precisely before adding another part of the yolks).
8. Divide mixed flour and cocoa into 3 parts. Add it to the mixure, step by step, very carefully (not to destroy the foam) stiring with a big spoon very precisely (the flour on the bottom of the bowl tends to remain unmixed/unlinked). 
9. Pour the cake to previously prepared tin.
10. Bake for 30-40 minutes (till the toothpick is dry) in 170C.
11. After that time, take it out from the oven and throw energetically on the kitchen's surface. Cool down.
12. When cooled down, cut into 2 equal pieces using a knife or for example a thread.
13. It is advisable to put it back in a tin, if possible.

Optionals:

1. If desired - take a jam and (optioanlly) mix it with alcohol and cherries. 

Whipped cream:

1. Make sure the cream is very cold.
2. Take the glass with hot water, put gelatin inside, stir till it melts. Cool down (it needs to be a liquid after cooling down, if needed - add a little water).
3. Take a mixer and its bowl. Put the cold cream inside, add sugar, start beating - around 10 minutes. Add cooled down gelatin (make sure it is still a liquid). Mix precisely. 

Chocolate topping:

1. Take a pot, put butter inside. 
2. Melt the butter on the lowest heat. 
3. Add chopped chocolates, heating or not, but stiring all the time, carefully so that it doesn't burn. 
4. Stir and cool down a little.

Preparing the cake:

1. Take the first piece, sprinkle with liqueur (optional), put jam(with or without liqueur, but it's still optional) and cherries (optional) on it. Put whipped cream. Add cherries on the top(optional). 
2. Take the second piece of the cake, sprinkle with liqueur (optional), put jam(with or without liqueur, but it's still optional)on it and put on the first piece of cake.
3. Pour previously prepared chocolate on the entire top.
4. Put in a fridge for at least 2-3 hours.
5. Before serving, it is a good idea to decorate the cake with whipped cream, cherries, almonds etc.
6. Bon Appetit! :)

Pumpkin Cookies

Something nice, really tasty and oh, okay, let's say it - quite healthy ;) in their taste they are very similar to carrot muffins I've baked a couple of times (before the blog was born, but no worries I'm sure that wasn't the last time I baked carrot muffins) and that's probably because of the nutmeg. 
What's more interesting when my little toddler naphew came and asked for a cookie I gave him one of these.. Surprisingly he devoured it and came back asking for more! 
Is there any more encouragement needed? Or any more proof that this is tasty? I hope not! :)
Recipe comes from KwestiaSmaku.

Ingredients:

• 50g of butter
• 1/3 glass of brown sugar
• 1/3 glass of white sugar
• 1,5 glass of flour
• 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
• A pinch of salt
• 1/4 glass of oil
• 2 eggs
• 200g of tinned pumpkin pieces
• 1 jar of plum jam

Preparation:

1. Take the pumpkin. Drain it off and mash, using for example a blender.
2. Take a mixer's bowl. Put chopped butter, brown and white sugar inside. Put aside.
3. Take a bowl, put flour, baking powder and baking soda inside. Add cinnamonn, nutmeg and salt. Mix precisely.
4. Mix butter and sugars for around 2-3 minutes. After that time, gradually start adding oil, mixing all the time. 
5. Continue mixing, add one egg, when it links, add another. 
6. Add pumpkin puree, mix till smooth.
7. Add bowl with flour and spices, mix till everything links.
8. Put in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
9. At the end of that 1 hour's time, start preheating the oven to 180C.
10. Take the baking tray, grease it and put baking paper on it.
11. Take a baking syringe or a baking sleeve, put some of the dough inside and start making small cookies on the baking tray.*
12. Put in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, till the cookies grow and get gold.
13. Cool down.
14. Take two of them, put plum jam between.
15. Bon Appetit! :)

* Honestly, I put some dough in mini tartin tins - yes, shape is different but taste - same good :) 

Sweet Semolina

Sweet semolina could be the second name of (dessert) simplicity. This timeless and delightful dessert will always satisfy both children and adult's palates :) Honestly, there is no sophisticated recipe, if you have never tried it, this is a must-try!
Recipe from... genes? I have no idea... :) it's like preparing cornflakes for breakfast :)

Ingredients:

• 800ml of milk
• 110g of semolina(or farina, or grit)

Additionals:

• caramelized apples*
• cheery (or other) jam
• almonds
• .... :)

Preparation:

1. Prepare around 6 dessert bowls.
2. Take a clean pot, put all the milk inside, start heating on a low heat, not to burn the milk.
3. When milk starts boiling, gradually start adding the semolina, stiring energetically all the time, to avoid lumps.
4. Boil for around 2-3 more minutes, then distribute prepared grit to all the dessert bowls. 
5. Put chosen additionals on the top of every dessert bowl.
6. Bon Appetit!

*How to prepare caramelized apples?

Ingredients:

• 3-4 apples (usually 1 apple per 1 person is enough)
• 2 tablespoons of water
• 1-2 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon

Preparation:

1. Wash the apples, peel and cut into wedges.
2. Take a pot, put water and apples inside, start heating.
3. After 3-5 minutes add sugar and cinnamon. Stir from time to time.
4. Boil for another 5 minutes.* Turn off the heat.
5. Bon Appetit! :)

* The longer the apples are boiling the softer they become and they start falling into very small pieces.

Puff Pastry With Chicken

Well this recipe was born out of my curiosity and a need of trying something new with puff pastry that... may not appear to be edible ;) Surprisingly, it appeared to be very tasty :) What is it? My mum said it looks like a chicken mummy ;) Seriously speaking, this is stiffed with vegs and spicy chicken crunchy puff pastry :) worth trying!

Ingredients:

• Puff pastry*
• 500g of chicken breasts
• 500g of mushrooms
• 1 onion
• 1,5-2 peppers (not necessary red one)
• mascarpone/philadelphia (cream) cheese
• a couple of cheese slices (2-3 per one)
• spices: salt, pepper, cayenne, oregano, basil
• 1 egg, beaten

Optional ingredients:

• green/black olives
• tomatoes (preferably dried)
• zucchini
• courgette
• carrot
• instead of an onion - a leek

* depending on a number of people eating there might be 2 packagings of puff pastry needed

Preparation:

1. Wash, peel (if necessary) and chop all the vegetables into cubes (zucchini, courgette and carrot might be cut into slices, though it doesn't matter that much).
2. Wash and cut chicken breasts into thin slices, season both sides with all the spices.
3. Take a frying pan, grease, put mushrooms and onion/leek, zucchini, courgette and carrot on it. Start frying, till bright gold (3-5 minutes). Turn off the heat, put aside till it cools down.
4. Prepare puff pastry, as the picture shows. (These pieces can be shorter, then, instead of 2-3 big ones, it is possible to get 4-6 smaller ones). It is good to leave the puff pastry on its paper (it's easier to move it later on the baking tray).
5. Start preheating the oven to 180C.
6. Add peppers to the frying pan and other additionals if desired.
7. Take the first piece of puff pastry. Distribute cream cheese on the bottom, put cheese on it, add chicken and 'sprinkle' with all the vegs. Cover with another pieces of cheese. Do up, like shoelaces. Repeat with all the pieces of puff pastry.
8. Take the beaten egg, put some on every top of prepared puff pastry chicken. 
9. Put in the oven for 25-30 minutes. If the top starts burning, cover the top with foil.
10. Bon Appetit!

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! :)

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Piña Colada Cake

Well I decided to make a birthday gift for myself. What could it be? Self-made cake seemed to be a perfect idea :) And so it was :) Soft sponge cake, refreshing pineapple, mouth-watering, sweet cream and tongue tickling shredded coconut. What else do a palate need? ;)

Recipe comes from Kwestia Smaku.

Some useful tips on 'before baking':

• It is better to use fresh pineapple, not tinned one.
• While mixing the sponge cake, remember to mix only in one direction!
• It is possible to prepare the sponge cake one day earlier.
• Actually, preparing the entire cake one day earlier is a fantastic idea - the cake is getting better and better with time! 
• A good idea to cut the sponge cake is to use a thread.
• It is possible to prepare that cake in non-alcohol version - don't impregnate the sponge cake with anything.
• If the coconut liqueur is unavailable, it is also a good idea to use rum.
• Instead of ricotta cheese it is possible to use ground curd cheese.
• About coconut milk: shake before opening the tin. If there is a transparent liquid - highly probably this coconut milk is useless and preparing the coconut cream will be impossible. It needs to be white, milk-like liquid, as the title says: 'coconut MILK' not 'coconut water'.

Ingredients:

Sponge Cake:

• 7 eggs
• 1 glass of sugar
• 1 glass of flour
• 1/3 glass of potato flour

Pineapple Mousse:

• 2 pineapples
• 2 tablespoons of coconut liqueur
• 2 flat tablespoons of potato flour

Coconut Cream:

• 1 (400ml) tin of coconut milk
• 1/4 glass of coconut liqueur
• 1 glass of sugar
• 500g of mascarpone cheese
• 250 g of ricotta cheese

Impregnating the sponge cake:

• 6-9 tablespoons of rum

Decoration:

• Shredded coconut
• pineapples leaves (if they are in good visual condition)

Preparation:

Sponge cake:

1. Take a springform cake tin, grease it and put the baking paper on the bottom. Grease the sides of the tin.
2. Take a bowl, mix flour with potato flour inside.
3. Start heating the oven to 170C.
4. Take a mixer and its bowl, separate egg whites from yolks so that egg whites are inside the mixer's bowl and yolks are - for example - in a glass.
5. Stir the yolks. Put aside and leave the spoon inside the glass.
6. Start beating the whites on a low rotation for 2 minutes. 
7. After those 2 minutes start adding sugar (gradually, one tablespoon after another).
8. Continute beating the whites on the highest rotation till stiff and shiny (around 7-10 minutes).
9. Without stopping the mixer, start adding the yolks (gradually, one spoon after another - another goes when the previous links perfectly with egg whites).
10. Stop the mixer.
11. Divide flours into 3 parts and add first part to the mixer's bowl. Stir very gently (not to destroy the foam) with a spoon till it links. After that, add the second part, stir and the third - stir again. (It is very important to stir slowly and precisely cause very often, in the middle or on the bottom of the bowl there is unlinked flour).
12. Pour the dough into previously prepared springform cake tin and bake for around 35 minutes in 170C.
13. After that time take it immidiately out of the oven, and throw on the kitchen's surface. Cool down.
14. When the cake is cold take a knife and cut the sides very near to the springform cake tin side, so that the cake can be taken out easily from the springform cake tin.
15. Now cut the sponge cake into 3 parts - using a knife or a thread.

Pineapple Mousse:

1. Cut the pulp, throw away the skins and hard, middle parts of both pineapples. 
2. Take one pineapple, cut the pulp into cubes and put inside a pot, add liqueur and start heating on a low heat for around 30 minutes, stiring from time to time not to let it burn. 
3. Cut the second pineapple into cubes as well and put aside.
4. Mix (using for example a blender) the boiled pineapple, add the second pineapple cut into cubes and start heating again. 
5. Take a glass, put a little water inside. Add potato flour, stir.
6. Add potato flour from the glass to the pot with pineapples. Boil till the mousse becomes really thick, like a jam.
7. Cool down.

Coconut Cream:

1. Take a pot. Put coconut milk and liqueur inside, add sugar and stir till the sugar melts.
2. Boil on an average heat for around 30-40 minutes till the substance getsreally thick (like a gum).
3. Cool down a little bit (it can't be cooled down completely cause it will be impossible to use it).
4. Take a bowl, put mascarpone and ricotta cheese inside. 
5. Using a mixer, mix it on a slow rotation. One spoon after another, keep adding coconut 'gum' while still mixing everything on a very slow rotation and make sure it links with both ricotta and mascarpone.

Preparing the cake:

1. Put the bottom sponge cake piece on a desired plate (it won't be possible to change the plate after preparing!).
2. Sprinkle with rum, put 1/2 of the pineapple mousse on it and 1/3 of the coconut cream. 
3. Put another piece of sponge cake on it. Sprinkle with rum, put the rest of pineapple mousse on it and 1/2 of the coconut cream (leave 1/2 of the coconut cream for the sides and the top of the cake).
4. Put the last piece of sponge cake on the top, sprinkle with rum, put coconut cream all over the cake - top and sides and sprinkle with shredded coconut (unlimited technique).
5. Decorate the top of the cake with the pineapple leaves - if possible.
6. Keep closed in a cake box, in the fridge.
7. Bon Appetit! :)