Pumpkin Soup

Darryl Worley - I Miss My Friend

That's how I feel these days.

Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:

700-800g pumpkin
1 carrot
2 onions
3 garlic cloves

0,5l vegetables(or chicken) bouillon

3 tablespoons cream

1/4 teaspoon ginger flour

1/2 teaspoon dried red paprika flour

1/4 teaspoon grated muscat(or muscat flour)

pinch salt

pinch pepper

a few white bread slices

olive oil

pumpkin seeds

Instructions:

1.Peel the vegetables(except one garlic clove, leave it for mashing and putting on the mini toasts) and chop them.

2.Take a pot and boil the vegetables bouillon. When it simmers, put the chopped veggies and boil for about 20-30 minutes until they get soft. Then grate that mixture with a blender, pour the cream in, flavour with ginger, red paprika, muscat, salt and pepper. Boil for another 10-15 minutes.

3.Take a frying-pan, pour some olive oil in and heat it. Put the small white bread squares(1,5x1,5cm) and pumpkin seeds and fry until the bread gets a golden colour. Spread the mashed garlic paste over the each toast.

4.Pour the soup in the plates, add some natural yoghurt(home-made fits the best), some mini toasts and sprinkle some pumpkin seeds.

YUUUMMI!!!

Granola

The healthiest and the tastiest breakfast - granola!

I have to admit that until I've turned 18, I wasn't used to eat breakfast at all. I just couldn't put anything in my mouth in the morning, so I casually started my day with a cup of green or black tea with a slice of lemon in it(later a cup of coffee). Everyone, including my parents and grandparents(especially grandmother) kept telling me that it was extremely unhealthy, but I didn't pay any attention to the warnings and advices, as my stomach seemed to be still sleepy and not ready to work at the time of the early mornings. So there was no point in trying to eat, as my organism didn't accept anything except liquids. 

But one day, my grandma told me that when she was younger, she had a stomach canker, which caused pain. At that time she couldn't eat anything spicy and sour. Her menu mostly included cereals, anything else could cause more pain. Doctors said that it happened due to not eating breakfast. My BFF told me almost the same story about herself and her mother.

And I can say that it really made me change my mind. Of course, I didn't start eating breakfast immediately after hearing those stories, but day by day I got used to this. I'd been eating yogurt, fruits, curd with berries/jam, etc. But what I like the most is cereals(now I can even say that I wouldn't survive without them). And recently I've found some recipes of granola, so I had to try them out. But actually, I didn't follow a one exact recipe, I just used the products that I like the most:)

Also, I wouldn't say that it's cheaper to make granola at home than buy it, but I think that it's definitely tastier and of course healthier!

Granola

Ingredients:

400g oats

50g almonds(you may also add almond shaves)

50g hazelnuts

20-30g coconut shaves

100g dried cranberries

1/4 cup butter

100ml honey

(you may use different quantities of the products)

Instructions:

1.Take a bowl and combine oats, almonds(almond shaves), hazelnuts and coconut shaves. In the pot, melt the butter and honey and pour it in to the bowl with dry ingredients. Mix everything thoroughly.

2.Place the baking paper in the each pan and put the nuts-butter-honey mixture on it. Heat the oven to 170 degrees(Celsius) and bake about 25 minutes. While baking, mix granola for a few times with a spatula. After baking take it from the oven, add dried cranberries and mix once again. Wait until it gets cool. Granola should be kept in a glass bowl with a top that not to get damp/wet, as then all the ingredients stick. You may eat it with yogurt, milk or without anything:)


YUUUMMI!!!

Quickly Made Cookies

Today I'm VERY busy. The guests are arriving in two hours, but the small crispy chicken balls aren't made yet. I think, I should hurry up!

Cookies:

Mmm, they're so so so delicious!

Not too sweet, but you still have to be careful that not to bite your tongue:) 

P.s. I didn't know how to name them, so they're going to be called 'Quickly Made Cookies', as to prepare to bake those yuuummies takes really not much time.

Quickly Made Cookies

Ingredients:

2,1/2 cups milk(or 350ml)

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1,1/2 cup wheaten flour

3 eggs

pinch vanilla

Instructions:

1.Take a pot and melt the butter on a low heat there. Pour the milk, sugar and vanilla in and wait until the mixture simmers. Then turn the heat off and add the flour, spoon by spoon(while adding, mix it slowly all the time). Whisk until the batter starts pulling away form the sides of the bowl. Then put the bowl in a cold place and wait a few minutes until it gets cool.

2.Add eggs, one at a time, and beat the batter thoroughly. The dough is prepared. Now, put it in the confectioner's bag, squeeze and form small cookies.

3.Heat the oven to 190 degrees(Celsius) and bake about 20-25 minutes until the top of the cookies gets a golden colour. Take them from the oven and wait about 10-15 minutes until cookies become completely cool. Now you can taste them!

YUUUMMI!!!

Spicy Soup and Garlic Butter Snacks

What a beautiful autumn!

I'm surprised that there have been just a few times, when the rain lasted the whole day. Most of the time the sun's shining, what is quite unusual in my country. And although the paths are covered with colourful leaves, this wonderful weather makes me feel that it's the beginning of the spring.

The only one thing which I don't like that much is the freezing. Sometimes at nights the temperature is even below zero. Brrr. I think I should hurry up knitting my new scarf. I can't wait to wear it!

As it's so cold those days, I decided to cook something that could warm me(drinking five or even more cups of tea doesn't help anymore).

So, I've chosen one of my new recipes - spicy soup. Who doesn't like that taste of the chilli, sweet pepper, oregano and basil combination? And of course, the feeling of getting your cheeks glowing due to the spice!

But I didn't want to make just a soup, I needed something more - the result: spicy soup and the small bread loaves slathered with garlic butter. So this time, there's going to be two recipes:)

Spicy Soup

Ingredients:

2 onions

2 garlic cloves

500g beef mince

olive oil

1 teaspoon mincemeat spice

2 tins tomatoes

2,1/2 cups tomato juice

1 teaspoons dried chilli powder

2 tablespoons dried sweet pepper powder

2 tins dark beans

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon basil

pinch salt

pinch pepper

grated cheese

Instructions:

1.Chop the onions and the cloves of the garlic. Take a frying-pan, heat some tablespoons of the olive oil, put the chopped vegetables and the beef mince in. Fry for some minutes(about 5min). Flavour this mixture with mincemeat spice and fry for another 10 minutes.

2.Take the fried meat-vegetables mixture from the frying-pan and put it into the pot. Pour the tomatoes and the juice in, add some chilli and red pepper. Stew about 10 minutes. Then add the beans and other spice(oregano, basil, salt, pepper) and cook for a several minutes. Pour the soup in the plates/soup bowls and grate some cheese on the top.

Garlic Butter Snacks

Ingredients:

small bread loaves(or french bread slices)

1/2 cup softened butter

3 garlic cloves

pinch fresh parsley

pinch dried basil

pinch dried thyme

pinch salt

pinch pepper

grated cheese

(you may use different quantities of the products)

Instructions:

1.Mash the garlic up and combine it with the softened butter. Flavour with some parsley, basil, thyme, salt, pepper and mix everything thoroughly.

2.Divide each bread loaf in two slices, slather with garlic butter and sprinkle some grated cheese on the top of each slice.

3.Heat the oven to 170-180 degrees(Celsius) and bake for 8-10 minutes.

YUUUMMI!!!

P.s. If you made more butter than you needed, you can wrap it in the baking paper and keep in the refrigerator just like the simple butter.

Pearl Sugar Bagels

I just came back from the supermarket and what I'm going to say is that I HATE doing shopping on Saturdays, I really do. Those general stores are overcrowded with people: screaming children at their parents that they're not buying as much candies as they want, crying babies about their lost dummies, arguing couples or teenage couples kissing on each corner(May be some of you would say that it's romantic, that they're enjoying their time, but you know, it sucks when you want to take a seat on one of the benches, but you see that the nearest one is occupied by a fourteen years old boy and a girl who are almost laying there and the boy's arms are under her clothes. Is it normal? Supermarkets are a public place, find another one for your games.). And the worst part - everyone's frowning. C'mon, stop being angry at everything and smile smile smile!

P.s. I think I've forgotten to brag - I have a driving license!!!

It's a little bit scary to drive when no one sits beside me, but I should get used to this.

The recipe:

Pearl Sugar Bagels

Ingredients:

1/3 cup softened butter

2 tablespoons white sugar

pinch vanilla
3 tablespoons cream
2 cups wheaten flour
a few tablespoons pearl sugar


Instructions:
1.Take a bowl and combine the butter, sugar and vanilla there. Mix for a few times. Then add cream, flour and mix once again.
2.Knead a dough. Roll about 20cm length stripes(I made it with my fingers) and then form the bagels. Sprinkle with the pearl sugar on the top of each bagel.
3.Heat the oven to 175 degrees(Celsius) and bake for 12 minutes.

YUUUMMI!!!

Cappuccino

Finally, I'm drinking cappuccino! Not the cup of coffee bought from Vero Caffee/Caffee Inn or another café, but the one made at home and of course by myself.

Italians would laugh at me and ask: 'Who drinks cappuccino after lunch time?'. (In Italy, cappuccino is a morning drink.)

But who cares?:)

I'm still enjoying every little sip, mm. I really love coffee.

Also, I think that you should know how I made it if I don't have a coffee machine or that little thing, which is used to froth the milk(I suppose it's called wire whisk or something like that).

So, here's the instructions:

Cappuccino(I'm not writing quantities of the products, as it depends on the size of the cup that you're using)

Ingredients:

espresso or any other coffee powder

boiling water

hot milk

cinnamon or cocoa powder

sugar(according to your taste, personally, I'm drinking without any sugar)

Instructions:

1.Boil the water and wait about 5 minutes, as we need the water temperature to be approximately 95 degrees(Celsius). Take some coffee powder, put it in the cup and pour in some water(the third of cup should be filled with brewed coffee).

2.Take a pot, add some milk and heat it, it takes just a few minutes. Then pour warm milk in to the tall and narrow glass/bowl or something like that. (It's nor necessary, but the first time when I was making cappuccino, I frothed milk with the simple blender in the same pot where I heated it. And guess what? It fell out of the pot. It spilled onto the table and across the floor. The milk was everywhere. Even my new beautiful apron(which now is in the washing machine) was covered with small milk drops. And after a several times of cleaning, I can still smell the scent of the milk when I enter the kitchen. So, if you don't like to clean/scrub/polish, use a little bit taller and more narrow bowl/glass than usually. It's just a small advice:)). Whip the milk with a blender in that bowl or glass. 

3.Pour frothed milk into the cup where the brewed coffee is. Flavour the top of the froth with some cinnamon or cocoa powder.

P.s. I know that this cappuccino isn't a perfect one. I mean, the milk foam isn't that stiff as it should be and there's some air bubbles(you can see it in the photos). But it's still delicious! And home-made!

YUUUMMI!!!