Sunday 30 December 2012

Carrot Pancakes. Different ways to prepare carrots.



As you probably have guessed, there will be oh so many more recipes of pancakes. If anyone still doesn’t know, this is my absolutely favourite food. At some point, actually, I had an idea to do a pancake blog. But perhaps I will do a nice cookbook one day, I can already imagine the structure, the photos, which recipes I would put in it!

Monday 24 December 2012

Home-made Mince Pies. English Christmas!


It's almost Christmas!! And this year I am spending it in England, getting to know the details of an English Christmas, and what is an English Christmas without minced pies?

I though I'd quickly share a Christmasy recipe while we're still in the 'almost there' period. It's a nice one to do with your whole family, I suppose it could be a nice family Christmas activity if you're into cooking. And trust me it tastes oh so good, and smells amazing, and sets you in the most Christmasy mood!! 

Saturday 22 December 2012

Tiramisu. One for dinner parties.


It's been a LONG time!!

I feel a little bad that my posts are not that festive yet. Everyone is in such a Christmasy mood, all the food blogs that I follow are just so Christmasy from the very beginning of November! But don't shoot me down just yet - I have been very festive this year, all my gifts are bought, nicely wrapped, under the Christmas tree already. A few Christmas dinner parties are already behind me and I've got a few to come! So the truth is - I'm just being naughty in terms of writing everything up.. Oops.

One of these dinner parties was a recent one celebrating Hugo's excellent shooting skills. A few of his friends and I have had the pleasure to taste fresh pheasants, completely organic haha!! I did have my usual fuss about how wrong it is to kill but I guess it's just not for a vegetarian female to understand, is it?..

Sunday 9 December 2012

Cheesecake for my 21st birthday


Congratulations with the start of the holiday season! I am sooooooo happy. I know Christmas is enlarged commercially, but I forgive all the marketers. I think it my happiness from getting presents for people, hearing the Christmas songs everywhere, being a part of that cosy warm atmosphere outweighs the troubles of spending a few pennies over the gift budget. Also, my birthday is in December, so I get double the fun and one extra party! :]] 

This year suddenly became special as it is my 21st birthday, which, in my home country, doesn't mean a lot, but in the UK - it means SO MUCH!! And on the day I usually get something small for myself, a scented body cream or a nice shirt, but this year I decided to go for something different and bake myself my own idea of a perfect cake. I think it is perfectly normal to give yourself a gift of spinning in the kitchen for hours, the joy of mixing lovely things (and trying them too, obviously), noticing how the colours and flavours enhance with every ingredient!.. 

Sunday 2 December 2012

Winter Salad. And a GAME!!




This post IS about cooking, but just a little bit. I will just try to give you a quick inspiration about eating sallads all through out the year. Eat vegetables, they are great! I know it's 'meeeeh' and 'blaaaah' and 'i'd rather have crisps', but if you learn to love them, you will be very happy, because it is good for you, your body, and your soul. It makes your skin beautiful, refreshes your brain and keeps you healthy all throughout the year. It gets more difficult over the cold seasons, but you can always grate a carrot, have a bit of a leek. Please, for the sake of people who are around you - eat some greens - it will make you a happier and a better person! :]

Thursday 29 November 2012

Yoghurt and Cinnamon Pancakes



My favourite food is pancakes, without doubt. Big pancakes, small pancakes, sweet ones, savoury ones, flat ones, puffy ones... YUMmmmmmmmmm.

When I was younger, my mum would make a box (!!) of crepes filled with sweet curd (lithuanian cottage cheese) and vanilla, and every day I would gently pan-fry 2 of them for lunch and have them with sour cream and jam. I did this for years! It never got boring. And whenever I would go to my grandmothers' houses, the only thing i would ask for was pancakes. I remember one of the most fascinating meals from my childhood - my great grandfather used to make extremely puffy pancakes with baking soda and raisins. They were so puffy I could hardly fit them in my tiny mouth! 

Sunday 25 November 2012

Home-made butter


I shall explain the simplest recipe ever, which is very useful for almost any other meal, because it is one of the most essential ingredients everywhere. Cakes would not be as fluffy, biscuits would not be as crumbly, pancakes would not be as nice, potato mash would not be as lovely, toast would not taste as good without... butter!! And when it is home-made it just makes it even better.

Sunday 18 November 2012

A Peaceful Post. Fish Quickie




There are so many sad things going on in the world. People fight, friends break up, countries disagree, so there are tears, war and so much unnecessary sadness. What are the conflicts in the world trying to prove? Why do they want power, territory, size, wealth? Why does the world today, in 2012, try to solve problems and disagreements through blood and violence rather than through communication and collaboration?.. Why don't they learn from 2 (!!) world wars, why do they hurt others and not feel that they should stop?.. 

Saturday 10 November 2012

Kiwi Victoria Sponge for my lovely boys

I was very excited before starting my last year of university, as I was about to live with 4 lovely boys: Mike, Oscar, Steve and Coxi. And I was right about them being lovely!! They call me up late if I'm not home and ask whether I am ok, they love the food I cook, they give me endless amounts of hugs and they are just adorable big brothers. 


Thursday 8 November 2012

Vietnamese Duck Stew



I am quite fond of the European kitchen. Maybe I got discouraged by the few times when I have tried to cook Asian food and it didn't work, maybe it's my time spent in Thailand where the food was amazing but I was missing home food too much, maybe it's the fact that I really can't be bothered to store all the asian sauces and spices in my student kitchen. 

Monday 5 November 2012

A thank you to my mum. Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins


I have realised that I have not yet mentioned someone very important in the process of creating this blog. My mum!!!! 

Saturday 3 November 2012

Salmon week challenge: Salmon Wellington


Every now and again Hugo and I decide to lead a real student's life. Sometimes it comes through baked beans on toast and sometime we buy a massive discounted Salmon and eat it for a week. As you do.

I can usually do about 3 meals for the two of us, and by the third one it does feel like you will not want to have salmon for a long while. That is why every time we get one I try to make it different and interesting.

Two weeks ago we got our salmon and I was searching for a nice mediterranean recipe with some fresh ingredients, something nice and light - I really didn't want to admit that the winter is just around the corner. This silly belief encouraged me to disagree with Hugo's suggestion - salmon wellington - a cosy warming dish. I did have to apologise a few times for this disapproval... It turned out fantastic!

Birthday breakfast: Baby Dutch Pancake with strawberries


A birthday breakfast is a must. I really wanted to impress the birthday boy and wake him up with a steaming hot...... something. When it is for a really dear person it becomes really exciting, but quite difficult to decide.

Banana pancakes with crispy bacon? He really wanted it but I was not too keen. I still can't get my head over the bacon + maple syrup idea.
Smoked salmon cream cheese snacks? Done that last year.
Croissants and fresh fruit? He's too manly for this.
Full English? naaaaah.
Fancy muffins? hmmm no.
Pancakes? We have too much of those anyway.
Baby Dutch Pancake? Score!!

Time to start. Cinnamon Crumble Cake


Today I have been procrastinating (again) by having a look at some amazing blogs about cooks and their wonderful adventures in the kitchen. I always get so happy and excited to see how other people are as in love with food as I am, how excited they are about things that smell nice, tiny ingredients that make a whole pot taste incredibly different, how some tastes and smells go so well together. It makes me very happy to know that I am not the only crazy chick getting too excited about some food.

food/fo͞od/

Noun:
Any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink, or that plants absorb, in order to maintain life and growth.

But it is so much more than that!! It's love, it's passion, it's a discovery, it's a trigger for each and every sense of your body, it's sharing, it's socialising, it's enjoying your quality 'self' time, it's a celebration, it's memories, it's family, it's friends... To me - it's happiness.