Spicy pasta with chicken

This is my old idea of making a delicious dinner out of simple ingredients! And, what is more important, with that dish, everyone will find something suitable for themselves, for example: 

For children - there is pasta, which, if they are faddy - might be served only with chicken or with butter+sugar. 

For vegetarians: just take away the chicken.

For those on a diet - no mushroom sauce and no cheese.

Perfect!

The recipe is mostly mine, I took the recipe for the sauce from this website.

Ingredients:

• 500g of chicken breasts, chopped
• 1 packaging of wholemeal Fusilli pasta
• 100-200 g of cheese, grated (or some slices to put on the top)
• 1 onion, chopped
• pepper, salt, cayenne pepper (be careful with cayenne, it is spicy)
• parsley - leaves, to sprinkle the top

Mushroom sauce:

• around 1/2 kg of mushrooms (penny buns)
• 1 small onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 50 g of butter
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 125 ml of 30-36% cream 
• pepper, salt
• 2-3 tablespoons of fresh, chopped parsley

Optional sauce ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons of beer or white wine

Preparation:

Pasta:

1. Take a bigger, clean pot, pour water and a pinch of salt inside. Put on a stove, boil on a middle heat. When it reaches 100C, add pasta, stir, change the heat into low. Boil  for 7-12 minutes. Stir from time to time*.
2. When it's done, put the pasta on a colander and pour cold water on the pasta.**

*It is important, because pasta tends to stick to the bottom of the pot and burn as well as it tends to boil over.

** This is a good way to avoid sticky pasta.

Meat:

1. Chop into pieces, season with salt and pepper and cayenne.
2. Take a very big frying pan, grease it a little bit with oil. Turn the heat on.
3. Put the chopped chicken on the frying pan and fry for 10-15 minutes.

Mushroom sauce:

1. Clean the penny buns very precisely using a knife or a brush. If necessary - clean them quickly under cold water. Dry on a paper towel. Chop.
2. Chop the onion and garlic.
3. Take a frying pan, put 30g of butter and 1 tablespoon of oil on it. Add chopped onion and fry for 5 minutes on a middle heat. Add garlic and fry for another 1-2 minutes on a low heat. It needs to be gold, not burnt.
4. Add optional ingredients. Boil till water evaporates and a thick substance appears.
5. Add the rest of the buter and the oil. When it starts frying, add penny buns and fry on a high heat for around 6 minutes, stiring from time to time. 
6. Take the cream, add 2-3 tablespoons of sauce from the frying pan, stir. Pour everything on the frying pan and boil on midle heat. Season with salt (1-2 pinch(es)). Stir. Boil for around 2 minutes so that the sauce has a chance to get thicker. At the end, add parsley and season with pepper. Stir, turn the heat off.

1. Take the sauce and pour it on the frying pan with meat. Add pasta, boil for few minutes, stiring. Turn the heat off.
2. Bon Appetit! :)

Smiling Strawberry Muffins

Well, that was a pretty risky move, baking these muffins. I was afraid that this would be a complete disaster. But, to my surprise, they are very tasty and soft :) Useful, cause they can be prepared with many different fruit. And, accidentally, some of them smiled to me ;) 

As usual, slightly changed, recipe comes from: http://www.mojewypieki.com/przepis/delikatne-babeczki-migdalowe-z-truskawkami

Ingredients:

All the ingredients have to be in a room temperature.

• 150 g of butter, melted and cooled down
• 6 egg whites
• 1 glass of powdered sugar
• 1 glass + 2 tablespoons of flour
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 
• fruit

Optional ingredients:

• powdered sugar, to sprinkle the top

Preparation:

1. Put the whites in a mixer's bowl, beat for 3-5 minutes to get soft (not stiff!) foam.
2. Take powdered sugar and flour, mix it. Then, slowly, one tablespoon after another, mix it with egg whites, stiring gently. Add butter (remember that it needs to be cold), vanilla extract and mix till it links.
3. Take muffin tins (either silicone or metal ones - but if metal - paper muffin cases are necessary*) and put the dough inside every tin. Then, put some pieces of fruit inside** (3-6 pieces, depending on the size of the fruit and the size of the tin)
4. Bake in 170C for 20-25 minutes (to the dry toothpick)
5. Cool down, optionally sprinkle with powdered sugar.
6. Bon appetit! :)

* It is also possible to grease the tin with butter and sprinkle with flour.
** It is perfectly okay to put a lot of fruit in them - the dough will manage to cover them anyway.

smile ;)

Muffin cake with seasonal fruit and meringue

There is one, particular muffin recipe that I do love. The dough is soft, fluffy, it melts in your mouth. And I thought about a cake made of that recipe, with seasonal fruit... and some my private topping ideas...and it appeared to be delicious :) worth trying :) 

The recipe for the dough comes from: http://www.kwestiasmaku.com/zielony_srodek/maliny/babeczki_z_malinami/przepis.html

Ingredients:

• 300 g of butter
• 2 glasses of sugar
• 1 glass + 2 tablespoons of potato flour
• 4 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 6 small eggs or 4 big ones
• a pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon of water
• 3/4 glass of flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• fruit - blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, etc

Top:

• 2 packagings of budyn (or 2x ingredients from this recipe)
• 2 teaspoons of lemon juice
• 1-2 packaging(s) of ready-made meringue (of course you can use your own, home made if you wish)

Preparation:

Base, the dough:

1. Take a bigger pot. Cutting butter into smaller pieces, put it inside. Melt on a low heat (2-4 minutes or shorter if it starts burning). 
2. Take it out of the stove. Add sugar, potato flour, vanilla extract, a pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon of water. Stir quickly to make it link. Cool down.
3. Add eggs - one after another, stiring after every egg. Add flour, baking powder, stir.
4. Take a rectangular pan, put the dough inside, distribute all over the form.
5. Add fruit - all over the cake.
6. Put in the oven for around 30-45 minutes on 150-170C, till it gets golden colour. (I set 160C).*! Check, using a toothpick, if the cake is ready.
7. When done, cool down.

Top:

1. Prepare 2 ' budyń ' as the packagings (or recipe - double it) says. When ready, add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, stir. Pour it on the cake, distribute all over the cake.
2. Sprinkle with meringue (try to choose meringue that has no additional flavour)
3. Sprinkle with fruit.
4. Keep in the fridge.
5. Bon Appetit ! :)

*Keep looking - every oven works differently (mind that some ovens tend to burn some parts - for example things that are at the back of the oven) don't let it get gold too fast, because the inside will be raw.

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.

Custard Pancakes

I bought a new book with plenty of recipes for pancakes :) This is one of the ideas, slightly changed.

And this is the book: 'Biblioteczka Poradnika Domowego. Naleśniki, placki, omlety' (wyd. spec. 03/2013), wyd. Prószyński i S-ka.

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1 glass of water
• 1 glass of milk
• pinch of salt
• 1-2 tablespoons of powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla sugar
• 2 glasses of flour
• 1/2-1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 packaging of powdered vanilla 'budyń' (=custard)
• oil

Accompaniments:

• whipped cream, chocolate, powdered sugar, caramel, fruit, marmalade, etc.*

* I used cranberry jam(=jelly) and pear 'sauce'(chopped pear boiled with sugar and cinnamon)

Preparation:

1. Take a pot, put eggs, water, milk, salt, powdered sugar and vanilla sugar, flour, custard, stir till all the ingredients mix and till the dough is smooth (without lumps). 
2. Take a frying pan, put oil on it, preheat.
3. Put some dough on the frying pan, distribute on the entire surface. Fry both sides for 2-4 minutes on a low(to middle) heat.
4. Add favourite accompaniments.
5. Bon Appetit! :)

Honey Cinn Breakfast

I've read some articles about healthy lifestyle. It appears that among many different spices chilli, pepper, ginger, etc. which are very important) there is also a place for cinnamon with its magical powers to strenghten the immune system, improve health, help with losing some weight, regulate the amount of sugar in our blood and much much more! You can read a lot about it on the Internet, obviously, on trustworthy pages.

So here is another breakfast idea. I do enjoy it as I am a cinnamon fan. There is no sophisticated recipe, as you probably guess. I believe everybody knows how to prepare a decent sandwich ;)

Ingredients:

• bread
• butter (optional)
• honey
• cinnamon

Courgette pancake

That's an easy, healthy and delicious meal. Good idea for dinner, lunch or supper. Tzatziki matches it very much. Recipe taken from my uncle, greetings and thanks for him!

Ingredients (for around 15 pancakes):

• 1 courgette
• 1/2 of marrow
• spices: salt, pepper, chilli, cayenne pepper
• 1 egg
• 1-1,5 glasses of milk
• 2-2,5 glasses of flour

Optional ingredients:

• onion

Preparation:

1. Wash the courgette and the marrow. 
2. Peel (optional).
3. Grate both vegs on a grater, put in a big bowl. 
4. Sprinkle with salt. Leave for a few minutes so that water comes out.
5. Pour the water away by squeezing vegs or using a sieve. It has to be done precisely.
6. Sprinkle the vegs with spices.
7. Add chopped onion (optional)
8. Add milk, stir. Add flour - one glass after another, stiring all the time. The consistency of the dough needs to be very thick.
9. Take a frying pan* grease it, start preheating. Put 1-3 tablespoons of the dough on the frying pan and distribute on the entire surface, so that the pancake is thin.
10. Fry for 2-3 minutes on a low heat (each side).
11. Other vegs, Tzatziki, etc. matches that pancakes, so feel free to take your favourite ones.
12. Bon Appetit! :)

* I've got a frying pan that doesn't require any greasing before frying. It does have its price, but believe me, it is a real miracle. Nothing burns, your meal will be fried in a colour you let it be, not burnt brown. I do recommend it. If you are willing to buy it - one, middle size, will be enough and you'll probably stop using the rest of your frying pans :).