Citrus Snowballs

Here is another sweet recipe for cold, winter evenings at home. These snowballs are surprisingly tasty, sweet, orange, crunchy cookies which will be a good match for hot tea/cocoa, blanket aaand book or dreams ;)
Also, if you're running out of time, they're very easy and quick to make which gives them another big +. 
Sprinkled with powdered sugar or glucose, look like a snowball on a table :) And children will love them! Just make sure they're not using them as snowballs ;)

There original recipe is here, though I've made quite a lot of changes, such as replacing butter with margarine which I tend to do very often recently.

Ingredients:

• 250g of margarine
• 100g of powdered sugar (+ more to sprinkle the cookies)
• 1 teaspoon of orange extract
• 100g of chopped walnuts
• 100g of candied orange skin
• 375g of flour

Preparation:

1. Prepare a baking tray and put baking paper all over it.
2. Start preheating the oven to 180C.
3. Take a mixer and its bowl. Put margarine and powdered sugar inside and beat till bright and fluffy (around 10 minutes).
4. Add orange extract, walnuts, candied orange skin and mix till well combined.
5. Add flour and mix (or knead) again till well combined.
6. Start making balls (around 2 teaspoons of dough for 1 ball) and place on previously prepared baking tray (they might be placed close to each other as they won't grow).
7. If the oven is ready, bake for 10-15 minutes till golden brown.
8. Cool down on a wire rack.
9. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
10. Bon Appetit!

Winter Snowballs

Winter is coming, snow is slowly falling down from the sky and what's more important Christmas is coming as well, so here is another sweet recipe for cold winter evenings at home. These are surprisingly tasty, sweet, cinnamon crunchy cookies which will be a good match for hot tea, cocoa and blanket ;) Another huge advantage - if you're running out of time, these are very easy cookies and quick to make. Sprinkled with powdered sugar or glucose, look like a snowball on a table :)

There original recipe is here, though I've made quite a lot of changes, such as replacing butter with margarine which I tend to do very often recently.

Ingredients:

• 250g of margarine
• 100g of powdered sugar (+ more to sprinkle the cookies)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1,5 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 100g of chopped walnuts
• 100g of candied orange skin
• 375g of flour

Preparation:

1. Prepare a baking tray and put baking paper all over it.
2. Start preheating the oven to 180C.
3. Take a mixer and its bowl. Put margarine and powdered sugar inside and beat till bright and fluffy (around 10 minutes).
4. Add vanilla extract, walnuts, cinnamon, candied orange skin and mix till well combined.
5. Add flour and mix (or knead) again till well combined.
6. Start making balls (around 2 teaspoons of dough for 1 ball) and place on previously prepared baking tray (they might be placed close to each other as they won't grow).
7. If the oven is ready, bake for 10-15 minutes till golden brown.
8. Cool down on a wire rack.
9. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
10. Bon Appetit!

Reindeers (Cupcakes)

Those Reindeers are literally galloping to your plate ;) Christmas-like cinnamon taste, delicate dough with sweet buttercream, sweet cherry and salty ears :) Not only they look wonderful but they will also take your palate and stomach straight to heaven ;)
Original recipe - idea comes from this website, though I made some changes, the main change is the top - not whipped cream but Martha's -a-little-bit-changed buttercream.

What's more, children will definitely love them as much as those Christmas Trees! The buttercream I used is more resistant to warm temperatures (one of my reindeers remained in a room temperature for the entire evening plus night and the next day it looked same cute).

I do honestly recommend all of these wonders for the upcoming Christmas :) I promise You will not be disappointed ;)

Ingredients (all of them need to be in room temperature):

• 3 glasses of flour
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• a pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon of cinammon
• 230g of butter
• 1,5 glass of sugar
• 4 big eggs
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/4 glass of milk

Swiss meringue buttercream:

• 4 egg whites
• 1 glass of white sugar
• a pinch of salt
• 300g of butter, in a room temperature, chopped into small cubes
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Body parts :)

• candied cherries (optionally cut into halves) - nose
• pretzels, cut into halves - horns
• any hard, small, edible white (chocolate) balls or small edible eyes, if available - for eyes

Preparation:

Dough:

1. Prepare paper muffin cases and muffin tins.
2. Take a quite big bowl, sieve flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon inside, set aside.
3. Take a mixer and its bowl, whisk butter and sugar till it becomes bright and fluffy.
4. Gradually add eggs, mixing after adding each of them.
5. Add vanilla extract and mix again.
6. At the end, take turns at adding the 'dry', sieved ingredients from the bowl and milk. Repeat till both ingredients are mixed inside. 
7. Distribute the dough evently into every paper muffin case (to its 3/4 height).
8. Bake in 180C for around 20 minutes, till they get gold (check with a toothpick).
9. Cool down.

Swiss meringue buttercream:

1. Take a heatproof bowl, put egg whites and sugar inside. Prepare a 'bath'.* Keep stiring and heating the mixture over a steam of a boiling water till the sugar completely melts.
2. Cool the mixture down. 
3. Put the egg white mixture in the mixer's bowl and beat for around 10 minutes to get a white, shiny, stiff meringue.
4. Start adding the butter, one piece after another, mixing after adding every piece. While adding it may look like it is curdled, but don't panic, it's perfectly fine :) (it shall take around 5 more minutes).
5. When the mixture is stiff and all the butter is mixed, add vanilla extract, mix.

Finishing:

1. Take a pastry bag with a star-like tin nozzle, put the buttercream inside and start distributing on the muffin.
2. Start from the middle of the muffin and making circles go it its edge.
3. Decorate with...body parts of your reindeer :)
4. Bon Appetit! ;)

*A bath is simply heating the ingredients over a steam (but not boiling them in a water), just keeping them over a pot with boiling water, in a heatproof bowl.

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 ! :)

Best Brownies

I'm playing with 'The very hungry caterpillar' story in a kindergarten with children, we're learning about food, I give them different food to taste (connected with a story) and here we are in front of a chocolate cake, one of the things a catepillar ate in that story. So I decided to bake them one. I chose that brownie, hesitating a little - I wasn't sure if it will be good for them - it is 70% chocolate, hmmm, they might not like it... 

I was amazed at the lesson, when they were saying 'chocolate cake please' with their mouth full of previous piece :D so - brownie tested - children will definitely love it ;)

P.S. Oh, it simply must be delicious ;) It's Martha's favourite :) I changed the original recipe a little bit :)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) of margarine, cut into small pieces + more to grease the baking pan
• 2/3 cup  flour + some more to sprinkle the baking pan (alternatively, it is also good to use cocoa powder)
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 12 ounces of 70% chocolate, chopped
• 1 1/4 cups of packed light-brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

Preparation:

1. Grease a smaller baking pan. Dust with flour/cocoa. Tap out excess and set aside. 
2. Sieve flour and salt in a small bowl, set aside as well.
3. Take a non-stick pot, put chocolate and margarine inside and boil on a very low heat, so that it won't  burn. Instead, you can make a 'bath'. Stir from time to time. When done, pour to a different pot/bowl and set aside (or keep stiring), to let it cool completely.
4. Start preheating the oven to 190C. 
5. When the chocolate is completely cool, take a mixer's bowl, put sugar and eggs inside and beat on a high speed till bright (3-5 minutes). Reduce speed to low and add chocolate mixture and the vanilla. Add flour. Mix only till it is well combined.
6. Distribute the mixture all over the pan, prepared at the very beginning. 
7. Bake for 20-30 minutes (until top of the brownie has cracked and its center is soft or until the toothpick comes out with moist crumbs). 
8. Let it cool completely. 
9. Cut into squares.
10. Store in an airtight container up to 2 days.
11. 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.

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!! :)