Smell my kitchen

Living on a sofa and amigurumi

noreply@blogger.com (Raluca) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:20:00 +0000

It's been a while since I wrote last, but I do have a very good reason for that..

You see..we are now three :), so you can imagine I've been busy..

Young BOJ

At first I was busy just sitting on the sofa...as it gets quite difficult to move let me tell you....I guess all that vanilla ice cream has helped ;)

I watched loads of TV..can even dream about Ana Wintur just because I watched too much Ugly Betty. Great, isn't it?

But, that's not all I did..

I started crochet..First I took an one hour lesson from my grandma Silvia back home which was lovely, thank you grandma!

I worked for a while at a colourful blankie, that I thought I would never finish...

Greta and Frankie

Then..since the sofa period seemed to never end..I started working on an amigurumi project and just loved it!

So please allow me to present two other members of our now extended family.

This is Greta and she was the first one :).

Greta

She is a lady dragon and has a brother called Hugo, who lives in Romania, with a little boy called Albert.

As Greta was terribly bored to sit all day long by herself, I started working on Frankie...and soon she joined the green dragonesse :)

Frankie

Frankie is very fashionable lady hippo and a bit spoiled, as she doesn't have any brothers yet, but she will soon enough have a elephant cousin ;).

I just can't wait for BOJ (the most important addition to our family) to be able to play with these two ladies.

If you fancy starting your own amigurumi projects you can find the patterns on Etsy:

Greta pattern

Frankie came from this shop: Wool and Whims

I'm off now as someone is awake and kicking :)

Bonfires and fluffy vanilla marshmallows

noreply@blogger.com (Raluca) — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 10:43:00 +0000

Don't you love bonfires? You know the ones you used to do in summer camp, that you couldn't wait for..as it meant staying outside after dark.. hoping that cute colleague of yours will sit next to you..maybe hold your hand?

Vanilla Marshmallows

I do have a passion for them. I am just totally amazed by the way the little sparkles fly around and fade away..I could just stay and watch for hours on end.

I'll tell you a secret: I am sooo in love with them, that I had to have one at our wedding as well..Took a bit of convincing..and it looked quite scary as it was a windy day),but I had it and yes we had marshmallows to go with it! Just brilliant!

But you know what would have been even better, to serve my own home made marshmallows...Oh if I only knew how easy it is to make them and how deliciously addictive they are.

So when I received the "Marshmallow madness!" book for review I was extremely excited to try and make these fluffy wonders as, to be honest, it just seemed impossible.
And let me tell you it is not, but I need to warn you, you will need a candy thermometer and a kitchen robot with a whisk or a very powerful hand :).

Marshmallow Madness!

The book is brilliant both in terms of explaining the entire process step by step and it has the loveliest pictures, so you really want to succeed if it means you'll get something at least half as good looking as those pictures.

I was planning to make the vanilla ones and also a variant with raspberries..but guess what? I ended up eating my raspberries on a rainy afternoon while watching TV, so I was only left with vanilla. However I will definitely try some other flavours soon..I could swear the Margarita one just winked at me :).

I don't usually use cups for my recipes, but for the wet ingredients I did this time as it was easier than to convert everything in ml. I did add the ml measurements for you, if you find it easier.

Vanilla goodness

Vanilla marshmallows ingredients:
4 1/2 tsp unflavoured powdered gelatine
1/2 cup cold water (120ml)
115 gr sugar
1/2 cup golden syrup (120ml). The recipe actually requires light corn syrup, but I wasn't able to find any in London so I used Golden Syrup instead and I think it worked just fine.
1/4 cup water (60ml)
pinch of salt
2 tsp vanilla paste (the recipe calls for vanilla extract, but I went with the paste as this is what I had)
For the coating:
100gr icing sugar (confectioners' sugar)
65gr corn flour (cornstarch)

Sweet fluffy dreams

Method:
Prepare a baking pan by coating it with a very thin layer of cooking spray (I used sunflower oil) and set it aside.

In a bowl whisk together gelatine and cold water and leave it to soak for around 5 minutes.

Stir together: sugar, half of the golden syrup, water and salt in a medium saucepan with a heavy bottom over medium heat. Here is where your thermometer will come in handy. You will need to heat your syrup until it reaches 240F (aprox 115C).

In the meantime pour the rest of your golden syrup in the bowl of your electric mixer (or just a bowl if you plan to do it by hand..but trust me it will be difficult).
Heat your gelatine mixture in the microwave for 30 seconds, or on the stove, until well combined and pour it over the golden syrup. Start your mixer on low speed and keep it running.

When your syrup has reached 240F start pouring it in the mixer bowl. Be careful as it is really hot!
Increase the speed to medium and whisk for about 5 minutes. Increase again to medium high and bit for another 5 minutes. By this time my mixture was not yet white and fluffy..but I didn't pay it too much attention as I was doing some other things as well. After the second 5 minutes are up add the vanilla and increase the speed to high and leave it for another 1-2 minutes. You will notice the texture will change and it will become white, opaque and fluffy. They are done!

To prepare the coating just sift the icing sugar and corn flour together. Done!

Pour the mixture in your prepared pan and level it with a spatula. Generously sift coating over the top and leave it to set in a dry cool place for about 6 hours. Mine was left over night.

When ready to cut and serve, use a knife to release the mallow from the pan and then slice it in whichever shapes you fancy. I just went for square-ish ones and used a pizza cutter to do it.
Evenly coat each marshmallow with the sugary coating especially the sticky parts.

You did it! You have fluffy, slightly gooey sugary goodness.

Full disclosure: I've been sent the "Marshmallow madness" book for review, but all thoughts and opinions on the book are my own.

Closer to nature and my first sourdough bread

noreply@blogger.com (Raluca) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:28:00 +0000

We've got some amazing friends let me tell you and some of them create wonderful things like ceramics, wood carvings, food photos and so much more.

Two weeks ago we went back to Romania for a visit before D day and we were lucky to spend some days with an amazing family and great hosts.

Sourdough bread

Their house is warm and they always welcome everyone with a smile, which makes us want to go back to their place every single time.
This time they also had home baked sourdough bread which was so delightful that I really had to have another try..

And I did..
I will tell you as soon as I can how I did it beginning with the sourdough starter and with better pictures I promise, but I really had to brag about this..

Sourdough bread slices

It was no way I could have kept this beauty all to myself...
I am sorry for the really bad iPhone pics, but I am sure you can tell these were two great loaves of bread ;).

See you soon with the recipe and explanations!!

Food and wine pairing - Chablis challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Raluca) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:13:00 +0000

I love a good challenge..probably because I am extremely competitive and need to win every contest/competition, but also because it usually involves me learning something new.
I was really happy when I was invited, by a PR agency, to take part in the Chablis Blogger Challenge as it meant tasting some new wines properly and also learning a bit more about what food goes with each of them.

Chablis - France

Just to give you a bit of background about these wines.
As the name says they come from Chablis, France, an area in the northern part of the famous Burgundy region and are mainly dry white wines coming from Chardonnay grapevines.

There are four different appellations of Chablis which are: Chablis Grand Cry, Chablis Premier Cru, Chablis and Petit Chablis.
It seems the region produces nearly 35 million bottles of Chablis per year and 3 out of 10 are sold in the UK.

As I mentioned before I am not really a wine expert and I never went to a wine tasting done professionally (if you don't count the one we went to in Barcelona
on our honeymoon when we just picked wines randomly and had them all one after another ;)).
It was cool to be provided with a wine tasting guide and I thought I would share with you the wine tasting steps:

1. Appearance
This should be easy: pour the wine into a wine glass and look at it. Young wines will be quite clear while aged ones will be darker after many years.
You can also tell how much alcohol content a wine has by swirling the glass and watching the droplets.
A high number of droplets (legs) will mean a high alcohol content and the speed with which they fall will tell you is the wine is sweet (slow) or dry (fast).

2. Aroma
Wine aromas can remind us of many things: fruits (apple, grapefruit, peach, cherry, raspberry), flowers (jasmine, rose, chamomile), spices (vanilla, cinnamon, black pepper) or even
vegetal aromas (asparagus, mushrooms etc).
Swirl the glass and sniff the glass. You might be able to pick up different aromas or even if the wine is faulty as it will probably smell of damp walls or mould.

3. Palate
After detecting an aroma you are ready to have a sip :). Yes! Your tongue will be able to identify acidity, bitterness, saltiness, savouriness and sweetness.
Try and use both your smell and taste senses. Sip again and draw some air through your mouth as well. Your tasting experience should be intensified.
Now ask yourself: how long can you taste the wine for? The answer will be the length of the wine counted in seconds. The longer the taste lasts the more expensive the wine.

Soo get tasting now! We did!

I was sent two Chablis wines to taste: Chablis Premier Cru, Mont de Millieu, 2008 and Chablis, Domaine de la Boissonneuse, 2009.

We started with Chablis, Domaine de la Boissonneuse, 2009.
It looked clear and young to us, with a citrus aroma and on the sweet side. We really enjoyed this one as we tend to like sweet wines a bit better.

Glazed scallops with parsnip puree and fennel salad

I think it would work beautifully with these glazed scallops with fennel, parsnip puree and crispy pancetta.

Scallops

The second one Chablis Premier Cru, Mont Millieu, 2008 was clear as well and citrus-y, maybe with a stronger hint of grapefruit and on the dry side.

Mushrooms at Broadway Market London

I think the best thing you can pair this one with is the best mushroom risotto I have ever tasted so far.

Mushroom risotto

I did cook it myself once, but didn't get around to post the recipe, but you can find it on the SporeBoys website.

I loved this challenge and will try and set myself new ones as soon as possible.

Disclosure: I've been sent the two bottles of wine and tasting guide and was invited to take part in this challenge.

Chablis image credits

Change and Pizza East

noreply@blogger.com (Raluca) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:47:00 +0000

I don’t really like change..even though I believe I am an impulsive, adaptable person..oh who am I kidding..I am also lazy..so, change is difficult :).
I don’t like changing managers too often...don’t like changing the bedding (yeah I know I have to).. I don’t like wearing something else, if I can wear the latest top I bought every single day..

Pizza East menu

I don’t like this kind of change.

Recently I had to change my desk for a new one..yes it’s bigger, less cramped and I don’t smash my knees in the table’s leg every day..I still reluctantly moved..as I don’t like change..
Things do change in my life, don’t get me wrong..I was single, then married, I lived in Bucharest, then moved to London..but hey, these were necessary things!!
I am sure you already know that I love Franco Manca’s pizza, I can almost say I am addicted to it..
However from time to time a change is needed..If only because I am too lazy to go to Chiswick. When this happens we like to go to Pizza East*.
This time we went to the one on Portobello Market. It was newly opened (yeah...this was ages ago..) and we had to try it and see if it was as nice as the one in Shoreditch. And it doesn’t disappoint let me tell you.

Pizza East new and old

The interior is nice and cosy and I really like the perfect balance of old and new, the hanging hams and cheeses upstairs and the lively bar.

Pizza East interior

We weren’t that hungry when we finally got a table so we just started with some green olives and almonds. They were nice, especially loved the freshness of the olives with the saltiness and crunch of the almonds, worked nice with a cold beer.

Olives and almonds to start with

I ordered the San Daniele and rocket pizza and Mr.M got his favourite salami one.
I liked mine very much. It was fresh and light with a perfect balance between the salty and porky San Daniele and the fresh rocket salad on top while the base is fluffy with a nice crunch from the cornmeal.

San Daniele and rocket pizza

Mr.M loved the abundance of cheese and salami on his, it felt manly :).

Salami pizza

Pizza East doesn’t disappoint. The food is always nice and the service is usually good, apart from some nights in Shoreditch when it can be a bit slow.
I think Pizza East is the best contender so far for the best pizza in London.
So if you feel like changing your regular pizza place for a new one, from time to time, I would recommend you go to Pizza East even though it’s not the cheapest one in town.

*Pizza East – 310 Portobello Road, W10 5TA, London
http://www.pizzaeast.com/pizza-east-portobello
I can’t remember for sure how much we paid but I think usually it’s around: £30 for both of us.

Happy New Year and a portfolio

noreply@blogger.com (Raluca) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:02:00 +0000

Happy New year everyone!
I am still here, still eating (mostly tomatoes and pickles) and trying to capture some pictures now and then.
I'll come back with new recipes and reviews soon, but until then I thought you might want to take a look at my newly created portfolio

Check it out here: Raluca Micu Portfolio

Lazy summer and a refreshing gazpacho

noreply@blogger.com (Raluca) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 10:52:00 +0000

I love being lazy..what I love even more is to be lazy on a beach somewhere..
If it so happens that I have a mojito in one hand, well lucky me :).

Do I drink mojitos all day, every day? Well no. When I am not drinking mojito, I love to have a nice cold gazpacho followed by grilled sardines yum!

Gazpacho

Oh never mind me, I am dreaming at our latest holiday in Spain..lazy days, tasty tomatoes, the best oranges I had, gazpacho and mojito...
Not to mention all the jamon, manchengo..Look at me getting carried away..this is a story for some other time..

I just had to think of sunny, lazy days as autumn is properly here now..grey and dark and cold..but laziness is still welcome :)

I know it's a bit late to talk about a cold soup, but I'll tell you anyway, maybe you've got some late season (ok, ok, very late season) tomatoes that you
don't know how to use..

Cold Spanish soup

Ingredients

1 slice of white crusty bread soaked in water
1kg very ripe tomatoes
2 peppers - one red and one green
1 medium cucumber
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 small onion or 1 small shallot
150ml extra virgin olive oil
2tbsp sherry vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Gazpacho and warm soda bread

Method

Dice the tomatoes, pepper, cucumber and onion
Mince the garlic and squeeze the water out of the bread.
Add all ingredients above (apart from the vinegar and seasoning) to a food processor and blend until smooth.
Pass the mixture through a sieve, add the vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate before serving.

To serve garnish the gazpacho with extra virgin olive oil.
I've served mine with hot from the oven soda bread, it's been lovely and very much reminded me of holidays and sun :).

Cool vs uncool and a soda bread

noreply@blogger.com (Raluca) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 11:20:00 +0000

This dark thing is totally uncool right? It's dark when I wake up and dark when I leave the office..uncool!..

Want to know other uncool things? My bathroom fan..it keeps going for at least 15 mins after the lights are off..what's that all about??

Soda bread

The leaves that block our drainage outside..totally uncool to find your front door submersed in a pool of water.
What's cool these days?
All the colours in Hyde Park..the amazing autumn is here and I love it sooo muuuch!

It's cool to bake things that my grandma used to bake for me when I was a child and she still does it. I'll tell you more about that soon.

There's another thing I find extra cool: the smell of freshly baked bread..did I tell you this already?
Doesn't matter..I am now older so..I can afford to repeat myself from time to time :)

The latest bread I've baked.. (not really the last one..as the last one was baked using my new shiny ruby Kitchen Aid that Mr.M bought for me on my B-Day muuuaaah :)) is this so easy to make soda bread, using Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall recipe.

Easy to bake soda bread

Ingredients

500 gr plain flour
2tsp bicarbonate of soda
1tsp fine sea salt
400ml buttermilk
some milk if necessary

Method
Sift the flour and soda into a large mixing bowl and stir in the salt.
Make a well in the centre and pour your buttermilk mixing while you go. Don't over mix it, just try to incorporate all the flour as quickly as possible and gather the dough with your hands until you have a roundish shape. If it doesn't come together add a tablespoon or two of milk. Your dough will be just a tiny bit sticky.
Pre-heat your oven to 200C. Put your bread on a baking sheet sprinkled generously with flour. Make two deep cuts (in a cross) with a really sharp serrated knife on your bread (it will help it grow and breathe in the oven). Sprinkle the bread with flour and put it in the oven. Bake it for around 40-45mins or until it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Serve it warm and with generous amounts of butter. Totally cool!
I've served mine with a fresh and fragrant gazpacho, that I'll tell you all about next time.

Go do cool things now!

Grandma's baked potatoes and Spud

noreply@blogger.com (Raluca) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:11:00 +0000

When I was a little girl my grandma used to serve these amazing potatoes that she baked inside the wooden stove.

I loved sitting in front of it waiting for them to be ready..She would take them out, steaming hot, add a dollop of butter on top, sprinkle some salt and go!
They were just to die for!

Spud Covent Garden

When I moved to London I was presented with a British staple: the jacket potato...Did I like it? No.
I just didn't understand the point of having a huge baked potato, cut in two and drowned in baked beans...In a way I still don't understand.

However I was intrigued by the invitation I received to visit a new place that opened its doors to the "jacket potato loving punters".
I had to go check it out and to be honest with you, I am glad I did as it did change my mind about the sad jacket potato.

Spud dining room

Spud* is located on one of the cute little streets close to Covent Garden. It looks inviting and people are nice and attentive. We were invited to visit on the day they opened up their downstairs dining room.

Spud interior

We were invited to try some of their toppings first and then to decide on our favourites to enjoy properly with potato and everything.
I decided to try the smoked mackerel and the lamb tagine one (as someone sitting next to me swear it was the best) and Mr.M went for the chicken and chorizo ragu and the braised barbeque pork.

Cosy corner at Spud

Which ones did we like?
Our favourite was the chicken one, definitely! It was flavoursome and we could taste the nice smoky chorizo that worked wonderfully with the sweetness of the corn and the refreshing crème fraiche.

Chicken and chorizo ragu spud

Our second favourite was the smoked mackerel one, as we like fish and this was exactly what we expected, lovely smoked oily fish lifted by a large dollop of crème fraiche.

Smoked mackerel and creme fraiche spud

What about the other ones?
Well I feel the lamb one could have been better as on this occasion the cous cous was just a bit undercooked, and I was expecting the barbequed pork to be more fragrant and to be able to distinguish a hint of apples.
However I must confess that Mr.M stole all the cheese, so I wasn't really able to taste the entire thing.
We had a go with the Sicilian aubergine one, but being meat lovers we weren't that keen on the veggie version :)

Chicken spud

So we went for the chicken and chorizo ragu and the smoked mackerel spuds.
Do these toppings work with your regular spud? Yes they do!

Smoked mackerel spud

I definitely think that I could have a spud with smoked mackerel and crème fraiche for lunch or event a speedy light dinner.

I think I've been converted to another spud dish!
I loved Spud and the entire experience and I can't tell you how happy I was to be offered a "Friends of Spud" membership card with my name on it, on my way out!
That just did the trick for me and I left feeling special as if I was part of a Spud lover secret society :).

I will have to try my grandma's baked potatoes myself...but I will try the modern version with lovely toppings ;).

*Spud – 26 New Row, Covent Garden, London, WC2N 4LA.
http://ilovespud.com/home
Mr.M and I were guests at Spud, but your average Spud will set you back around £4-£6 each.

Still alive and turning 30...

noreply@blogger.com (Raluca) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 13:33:00 +0000

Yeah! I am still here..just really busy and lazy..But you know that already..

What you don't know, probably, is that I will turn 30 soon..
Because of that I decided to make a list of a couple of things I wanted to do before that.

Paper crane

Here is the ones I already thought about:
1. I will learn how to fold 30 origami models. The pictures you see represent the first one I've learned: a paper crane. Apparently if you fold 1000 of them one of your wishes will come true..so you might want to try that.

Crane origami

2. The second one is to write, yes hand write, 30 letters to friends, family or even people I don't really know..so if you fancy receiving a letter from me, you could send me an e-mail with your mailing address at: sassyfoodie at gmail . com

The first letter is in the envelope already and will be posted tonight :). Soo exciting!

3. I will individually photograph 30 people. I'll try and make it new people. See if that works :). I already have one, of with a lovely blonde little girl, I took in Whitstable the other day. Will show it to you soon.

4. Learn how to say Thank you in 30 different languages. I already know how to say it in 10 :).

5. I wanted to make a list to say: bake 30 things..Unfortunately I know that is close to impossible...as I will be on holiday for at least 2 weeks...in the next 6..

Well..I am off now..But promise to be back soon to tell you all about these lists and a new place in London where we had some nice spuds with delish toppings, it's called: Spud.

Meeting new people and Abeno Too

noreply@blogger.com (Raluca) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:40:00 +0000

You know, I do like meeting new people, don't get me wrong, but there's a couple of things I find weird when it comes to meeting people for the first time.

Kissing (on the cheek)..Don't kiss me! Really..I don't know you, remember?
Why would I give you a kiss (even on the cheek), before even understanding your name?
I don't even do that with close friends..not all the time anyway!

Abeno Too

Don't enter my space too much..I really don't like a close talker..you know the kind you can tell what their eyes smell like. Yup eyes can smell, if somebody you don't know is too close! :)

Don't, please don't yell in the restaurant for " The check" when you're in London and they call it "the bill". The waitress doesn't really know you're drunk and also she doesn't really know we, actually, don't know you!
:)

We've been to Abeno Too* many times now, with friends, family and new people..yes the kind I've just rambled about above..
We've loved it every time (not sure they loved us anytime..considering the above :)).

Abeno is a small place and usually a bit busy. It is also smelly. Not saying it smells bad! Oh, no! What I am saying is: you might like to go there at the end of the day and straight home, not on your way to a musical :).
What's special about Abeno is that all food is prepared in front of you and that is something I find really cool.

Japanese plates

The decor is simple and neat. I love the ceramic plates, shiny tools and nicely presented chopsticks.

Okonomiyaki tools

They are the only restaurant in London (with the exception of Abeno - the sister restaurant) that serves the famous Okonomiyaki - or Japanese pancakes.

The service is usually good, but we have this bad habit of going there when we are quite hungry so it can be a bit frustrating to wait..It's not easy to wait while you're hungry and you can see food in front of you, but you can't touch it yet.

Usually we have our own special order: We go for a London Mix Okonomyiaki and Om Soba and we share them. Mr. M goes for Asahi and I do some apple juice..Yes, that's how I roll :).

Okonomiyaki is something really special and the name "Japanese pancake" doesn't really do it justice.
The base it's a mix of Japanese daikon, white cabbage, dashi soup, white flour,eggs and scallions. This is mixed until it bubbles. If you smile and ask politely they will let you mix your own, it's fun.

Okonomiyaki mix

Ours was topped with bacon, salmon, cheddar cheese and noodles.

Noodles

Yes we did go overboard! :). I do think this is probably not the traditional way to do it, but heck it's tasty!

Okonomiyaki toppings

And this is not all!
The best things that happen are: the pickled ginger inside and the toppings: Japanese mayo, Okonomiyaki sauce (similar to brown sauce really), Aonori (seaweed flakes) and the best of the best Bonito flakes (tuna flakes).

Okonomiyaki sauces

The mix is really moist inside and crunchy on the outside and quite savoury. We love it. It was something we never tried before, but we are soo glad we've done it.

Okonomiyaki in the making

I just love the way the heat from the hot plate makes the flakes move. Fascinating!

Final London Mix Okonomiyaki

Om soba is another lovely dish. What's not to like? Soba noodles? Great!

Om Soba

Stir-fried chicken? Great! And if everything comes wrapped in a very very thin layer of omelette topped with Japanese mayo, Okonomiyaki sauce and really finely sliced pickled ginger, then it's almost Heaven :).

Om Soba

I think it's needless to say that we like Abeno. We do! And we recommend going there, better with family or friends than new weird people ;).

*Abeno Too – 17-18 Great Newport Street, London, WC2H 7JE
http://www.abeno.co.uk/findus/index_too.html
I can’t remember for sure how much we paid but I think usually it’s around: £35 for both of us.

P.S. I did try to cook Okonomiyaki at home and it turned out great. Have a look at the recipe here

Cheese land and mac 'n'cheese

noreply@blogger.com (Raluca) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 11:14:00 +0000

London’s cloudy again..Yes I know that’s how London’s supposed to be..but it doesn’t mean I need to like it, do I?

This weather makes me feel like eating cheese..a lot of it..melted cheese…

Makes me dream of escaping to cheese land, where every step of the way is paved with cheese…ewe’s cheese..goat’s cheese.. soft, hard, French, Italian, British…there’s one for everybody..
Oh, pardon me, just stepped on a grape by mistake, while stretching to reach that lovely blue cheese …

Macaroni and cheese

You think I’ve lost my mind? Maybe just a tiny bit..Cheese does have this effect on me :).

I’ve been feeling this cheese urge for a while now, so I really had to cook a warming cheesy mac and cheese, to suit windy cloudy London evenings, when I just want to laze around reading books on bread and…Yes! cheese :).

Ingredients:
400 gr macaroni
100 gr grated extra mature cheddar
100 gr grated gruyere, plus extra for the cheesy topping
100 gr emmentaler
2 garlic cloves
1 onion
1 red pepper
100 gr ham
2 tbsp single cream
2 tbsp milk
½ tsp nutmeg
Pinch of hot paprika
1tbsp olive oil
2tbsp salt

Mac 'n' cheese my way

Method:

Heat you oil in a pan and sauté the finely chopped onion and garlic until soften. In the mean time bring a large pan with water and salt to the boil and boil your macaroni as specified on their pack.
Pre-heat your oven to 170C and prepare a baking dish large enough to fit all your macaroni.
Finely dice your red pepper and ham and add them to the onion and garlic mixture and sauté for another 2 minutes.
Start adding your cheeses one at the time with cream and milk to create a thick sauce. Add your ground nutmeg (or freshly grated one if you can, it will be so much better) and the hot paprika.
Mix well until your sauce is the thickness desired (if you want it thinner just add more milk).
Strain your macaroni and add them to the pan. Coat them thoroughly with the sauce.
Transfer your macaroni and sauce to a baking dish, sprinkle the rest of your grated gruyere on top and bake until the top is golden and crispy.

Serve it as soon as possible, that’s what I did as I couldn’t manage to stay away from it even if it was boiling hot!!

Dharma and Indian food on Brick Lane

noreply@blogger.com (Raluca) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 14:57:00 +0000

I started using the internet a couple of years back when the only way you could communicate with your friends was by using a really nasty looking software called Mirc. I’m sure some of you would remember it..

I used to stay up night after night just to chat on this thing..even though the speed was appaling..and most of the time I waited for a message to come back..

When I wasn’t chatting on Mirc, I was watching this series called Dharma and Greg..Hence, my nickname on chat was Dharma.

Muhib Indian Cuisine

Did I know then what Dharma means? Did I know anything on Indian philosophy or Indian food for that matter? No! I just liked the lady in the series and her name ;)

Today I am trying to learn more on Indian history and culture and test as many Indian restaurants as I can.

A while back (yes it’s been a while since we’ve visited this place) we went to Brick Lane on a Sunday (as all cool people do :)) and went for Indian food, at Muhib Indian Cuisine*.

First things first: the service is not great here! They are not particularly nice or accommodating but we’ve been here 3 or 4 times already and the food is quite nice. The restaurant it’s got a rather kitsch design but it’s usually clean.

Poppadoms

We were 3 this time and we ordered quite a lot of food. We started with the crunchy poppadoms served with (amongst other things) my favourite mango raita.

Raitas and chutneys

I will have to be honest with you…I can’t remember for the life of me, what our friend ordered. I know he asked the waiter to recommend him something spicy, not the jalfrezi, something else….and it did start with a “k” but that’s all I can remember.

What I can tell is that it was chicken and it was spicy, but really flavoursome and creamy.

A chicken spicy dish

I went for a really different one: a Kashimiri chicken cooked with a coconut milk and lychee. It was a nice mix of sweet tastes and I really did enjoy it. I had to try a Kashimiri dish after reading Chef. I didn’t regret choosing it.

Kashimiri chicken

Mr.M went for his all time favourite dish a Balti chicken. Apparently this dish is not what you would call a proper traditional Indian dish, as it was invented in the UK, but it’s delicious. The chicken swims in a tangy tomato sauce, alongside quartered peppers and tomatoes.

Balti chicken

We asked for the usual pilaw rice, that was fluffy and airy and for a good old cheese Naan.

Pilaw rice

I just love this cheesy bread that I can’t get around to baking at home just yet. But I will! And be sure I’ll tell you all about it when I do.

Cheese Naan

Should you try Muhib? Yes I think you should, but do be patient with the staff :).

In case you want to be on the safe side you can go for Chicken Tikka Masala or the Butter chicken as they are both really good and quite moderate on the spices, if you’re a beginner :).

See you soon! I am off now to learn more about Indian food, history and culture.
Dharma x

* Muhib Indian Cuisine – 73 Brick Lane, London, E1 6QL
Their website doesn’t appear to work at the moment.
I can’t remember for sure how much we paid but I think usually it’s around: £35 for both of us.

Love food give food for Action Against Hunger

noreply@blogger.com (Raluca) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 12:05:00 +0000

I think once in a while we should all do something good.
This time I propose for you to take part in this new and exciting activity the guys at Action Against Hunger are promoting. I know I will.

Here are the details of this operation:
LOVE FOOD GIVE FOOD

* As part of this appeal we are asking foodies to host a dinner party - Getting involved is simple. Simply pick a date for your Love Food Give Food dinner party in June or July; invite some friends; pick a menu; and cook up a storm! At the end of the evening, guests are invited to make a contribution to their meal in the form of a donation in support of Action Against Hunger.

* Help is at hand with our ‘dinner party packs’ and dedicated website, including invitations, place cards and recipes from much loved chefs Jun Tanaka, Mickael Weiss, Valentine Warner, Cyrus Todiwala and Francesco Mazzei please. For more information check out their website: Love Food Give Food

What do you say?
I am off now to think about who to invite and what to cook!
Hope you'll do the same, as it is for a very good cause!

And here is the rest of it

On diets and a red pepper pesto concoction

noreply@blogger.com (Raluca) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:24:00 +0000

Last night I saw on TV that at any given time 1 out of 5 women will acknowledge being on a diet. Nonsense!
Can’t believe something like this! They are just being mean right? :)

Red pepper pesto

All right, truth is I haven’t been around lately as I am on a diet..Yes, diet. You know this means I can’t have the best things: cheese, macaron and freshly baked bread. Poor me! However there are things I can have even while being on a diet and who says they need to be tasteless and boring? No! No! I will not have it! (unless I am in the office..and I was too lazy the day before..so I really need to eat in the canteen…far from delicious..!)

A pesto with a twist

Having said that a couple of nights ago we has a lovely organic rib-eye steak with sautéed mushrooms and this amazing pesto like sauce on top. I do believe I liked my fingers when I finished.

Colourful tasty sauce

Ingredients:

1 red (capsicum) pepper
½ red chilli pepper seeds removed
1 handful basil leaves
1 handful flat parsley leaves
1 garlic clove
20grams parmesan
1tbsp pine nuts
2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1/2lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Pesto ingredients

Method:

Put all the ingredients in a food processor except the lemon juice and 1tbsp of olive oil. Process until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Add the rest of your oil and the lemon juice and process for another 20 seconds.
You should be done now. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
It will be lovely, herby and with just a bit of kick.
Easy, right?

And it does work for my diet. Back to it now (even though I am sooo hungry and I could kill for some melted cheeeeese!!).

Come with cheese: Ticklemore goat's cheese

noreply@blogger.com (Raluca) — Wed, 18 May 2011 10:04:00 +0000

I am sleepy these days..might be weather's fault..or just the fact that I love sleep? Don't know..
What I do know is that I also love cheese..even though I can only have it on Saturdays! Weird diet..don't ask.

Ticklemore goat

But oh, how we long for Saturdays, as they come with: all the forbidden goodies of this world and cheese is the King and Queen, as far as I am concerned.

Our last cheese adventure featured a goat's cheese from Devon.
We really had to have it last time we visited Neil's Yard close to Seven Dials as a guy just in front of us bought about a pound just for himself!
Must be really good we thought!

Goat's cheese from Devon

And we were not mistaken. This cheese is good!
It's moist but crumbly in the same time and has a really lovely zesty flavour. I was expecting more of a goaty flavour too, but the cheese is very delicate in this sense.
We did enjoy it and we will definitely have it again.

Ticklemore goat cheese from Devon , England

Ticklemore goat is made in Devon at the Sharpham Creamery by Debbie Mumford. You can find it in a lot of delis and cheese shops around London and the entire UK.
I would not miss it if I were you!

Intriguing eats and drinks vol.1

noreply@blogger.com (Raluca) — Tue, 10 May 2011 13:49:00 +0000

I am not going to say I will try any food out there..I know it would be a lie..
Just saw a show last night and thought..No way I would eat baby unborn duckling..No way!

Chinese intriguing eats

However I do love to take a stroll or two in new exotic shops and pick up things I haven't tried before..
This is how I got to an Oriental supermarket on Queensway and spent a lovely half an hour walking around and marvelling
at all the products I've never seen in my life.

The first one I saw and had to have was a nice bag of sunflower seeds with green tea.
It was love at first sight between me and the paper bag with Chinese letters containing an all time favourite of mine: sunflower seeds.

Green tea sunflower seeds

Do they sound weird to you? They are a bit, but in all honesty I really enjoyed them. Nice hint of green tea, crunchy and sweet. Yup will have those again.
I might even try to produce some of my own...that would be a challenge.

The second item I had to try: sweet olives. I must admit these ones are just a tiny bit weird as they don't really taste like
olives. You can only feel the sweetness and the awkward texture, similar to a date maybe, but tougher..

Sweet olives

Anyway it was a nice, exciting experiment, tasting things I've never tried before and I can't wait to do it again.

And hey, if you can recommend any new things to try I am up for it, send them my way!

On family trees and product origin

noreply@blogger.com (Raluca) — Thu, 05 May 2011 14:19:00 +0000

I was on holiday..went back home and visited everybody..that's why I wasn't around for the past few weeks..
What do I do now? I started documenting my family tree.
I tell you, this thing is fascinating and I wish I could take 2 months off to actually go to all the places my family have been and to dig deeper into my history..Sadly, I can't do this in the near future..but who knows? Maybe someday..
In the mean time I keep phoning my grandmas to ask questions, I think they like it too.

Since I am looking into my own origins, I thought I will tell you about some other origins - product origins this time.
Some lovely people have put together a lovely website called: Discover the Origin, where you can find more about where your favourite products come from and what you should be aware of, when buying one of them.

I am sure you've all heard about: Parmegiano-Reggiano, Parma Ham and Port Wine, but do you know where they actually come from?

I didn't so I started learning about them with the help of a lovely book I've been sent.
If you want to know more about all these products head over to: Discover the Origin.
In the mean time I will be in the kitchen cooking up some lovely polenta cakes that are just perfect for your summer fancy dress picnic.
Stay tuned for the recipe!

Crispy lovely salad and weekends

noreply@blogger.com (Raluca) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:55:00 +0000

How are you today?
I am sleepy. I am always sleepy on Mondays..Not sure why, but I am.
I am also feeling a bit nostalgic as the weekend was so lovely and now it just soo..over..

What did I do?
Walked around the city..Did some shopping for friends and family..Had lovely meals..Cycled on my bright yellow bike and rested
on top of Primrose Hill watching London..I may have had one, two, three?? glasses of wine in a gorgeous garden with friends.
It's been a sunny treat.

Turkish inspired salad

Today it's not..It's grim and windy and Monday..
So I figured I should bring some colour to this Monday with a Turkish inspired crispy and colourful salad.

Ingredients:
1 bunch rocket
1 fennel
1/2 red cabbage
2 carrots
1 lemon
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp sumac
2 tsp sesame seeds
salt

Nice and crispy salad

Method:
Start with your fennel. Thinly slice it on a mandolin, or using your best knife. (note to self: need to buy a mandolin!).
Rub the fennel slices with salt and the juice from your lemon and let stand for around 15 mins.
In the mean time thinly chop your red cabbage. Rub the cabbage with a good quantity of salt and let it stand for 10 mins as well.
Finely grate your carrots and wash your rocket.
Start layering your salad: create the first layer with the rocket, add the grated carrots on top.
Now squeeze as much moister as you can out of the cabbage and toss it a couple of times with a bit of olive oil and the vinegar.
Add the cabbage layer to your salad.
Squeeze some of the moisture our of the fennel and add it as your final layer.
Drizzle the entire salad with olive oil and a bit of lemon juice.
Sprinkle sumac and the sesame seeds on top and you're ready!

I paired my salad with some lamb cutlets with a mustard and seeds crust.
Right..back to real life now..
Next time I'll tell you all about my Eater feast back home, so don't miss out!

Come with cheese: Burt's Blue Cheese

noreply@blogger.com (Raluca) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 09:35:00 +0000

This is my new motto in life.
Do you need anything from me? Come with cheese!
Do you want me to be your best friend for life? Come with cheese!
Did you do something nasty to me and you're sorry, or even if you're not sorry..Bring cheese!

Burt's Blue Cheese

I love the thing! But as much as I love it, I hate to admit it, I know next to nothing about cheese.
We do have a couple of cheeses in Romania, but the choice is limited and I just think it's soo sad..But who knows..
maybe one day we will start producing artisan cheese, the real stuff. I can only hope so!

I dream to be a cheese maker these days! Yup a lot of dreams in my little (ok not so little!! :)) head.
But I need to learn more before I dream even further.

So I decided to present you with all the cheeses I try and also hope that you will recommend others.

The first one comes from my former boss (I must have done something good), from Cheshire and it's called: Burt's Blue Cheese.

Blue cheese and grapes

It's an artisan cheese handmade by a lady called Claire in Cheshire. I think she might be my newest hero!

As the name says it's a blue cheese, made with cow's milk from an English dairy farm.

Since I am in "Cheese training" I haven't got (yet!) a cheese vocabulary, but I can tell you honestly that I loved it.

Blue veins of tastiness

It's salty but sweet in the same time and not as pungent as I would have expected. The centre had a lovely blue-ish vein and a creamy texture.
It worked a miracle with my grapes and hopefully I will find out what's the best wine to serve it with.

If you don't trust (how dare you!?! :)) my taste in cheese, you should know that Burt's Blue got a Golden Medal in the Specialist Cheese Makers Class at the
International Cheese Awards!

I hope the cheese will be soon available in London or at least online. If you ever come across it do try Burt's Blue Cheese and let me know what you think.

Smell my kitchen is opened for cheese anytime :).

Lovely mint sauce and London weather

noreply@blogger.com (Raluca) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 13:40:00 +0000

I hate you...I hate the way you make me feel: sleepy and sad..It's just because I need to be in an office..I would love you
probably if I could be in bed with some nice tea and a book...
But I am not..so please bring back the sun..

Mint sauce

Of course I will hate you if it was sunny..because I wouldn't be able to stay outside and enjoy the nice day..
Oh well... I'll stop thinking about this now and tell you about a nice mint sauce we had a couple of days ago, with a
lovely Turkish inspired salad and seed crusted lamb.

I found the sauce on one of the websites showcasing Jamie Oliver recipes, it must have been the Channel 4 one..on 30 minutes meals.
You can find the initial one here, but I added my own twist.

Ingredients:
1 handful of mint leaves
2 tbsp Greek yogurt
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp hot water (or vegetable stock if you have any)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt

Yogurt and mint sauce

Start by picking 2-3 nice small mint leaves to use as a garnish.
Pick another 4 leaves, blanch them in hot water for 10 seconds and then drop them in ice cold water.
Drain them put them in your mortar and pound them with your pestle. Be careful not to mash them to a paste, you still want to see bits of mint. Add the olive oil, mix well and leave
the mix to rest until you finish all your other prep.

Put your big bunch of mint leaves in the same mortar add your salt and sugar and pound as hard as you can. Add the yogurt and the vinegar and taste. You want it to be sweet and tangy in the same time. It needs to be a sauce so add some water to give it the perfect consistency.
Now, strain your minted oil through a really fine sieve and drip some of it over your nice sauce.
Garnish with mint leaves.
There it is. Fresh and light sauce for your Easter lamb, if you like.

See you! Off to do some zzZZ..:)

Romanian food with a twist: chicken, leeks and olives

noreply@blogger.com (Raluca) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 10:06:00 +0000

I love my grandma. I am sure you all do, but I love her not because she is my lovely grandma...but because she is a lovely cook.
I can't wait to go home for Easter and tuck in some gorgeous grandma food.

Chicken with leeks and an olives and vinegar sauce

I dream to be like her in this sense..to be able to cook tasty, hearty food that people enjoy..Yes it's true I'd like to do it with a twist..
To make it a bit more special, but still keep the same childhood taste that I am so fond of.

I started recreating some of her dishes and the first one I tried was chicken with leeks and olives. It's a dish that is traditionally cooked in the area where my grandma comes from: Oltenia.
I figured Romanian food has the right to look good, not only taste good and this is what I tried to recreate without killing the taste of course.
I should probably mention that this is probably a bit of an acquired taste as not everybody will enjoy the vinegar-y kick.

Romanian dish from Oltenia

Ingredients:

2 boneless chicken breasts
2 leeks - the whites sliced 1/2 cm slices
1 onion
100 gr kalamata olives
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp tomato pure
200ml water - or a bit more if you feel like the leeks are not cooked
bunch of parsley
salt and pepper

Lovely dish my grandma cooks

Method:

Start by preparing your chicken breasts - cut them into strips not too thin and set them aside.
Sauté the onion in the olive oil and butter mix, until translucent and add the leek slices. Sauté the leeks until soften and add the water. Cooked them until soft but try not to mash them too much
as you need a bit of texture. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Separately in a small sauce pan add the pitted olives with around 100ml water vinegar, tomato pure and cook them until the sauce is a bit thicker. The sauce should be zingy and very olive-y. That's ok don't be afraid
as the leeks will be sweet and this sauce will compliment them beautifully.
Heat a pan and fry the chicken until it's cooked and has a nice golden brown crust.
Add the leeks in the middle of your plate, arrange the strips of chicken and pour some of your sauce and olives on top. Garnish with chopped parsley and there you have it.
A Romanian classic with better looks but the same childhood taste. Yum!

Romance and Pizza at Franco Manca

noreply@blogger.com (Raluca) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 11:45:00 +0000

Let's talk a bit about romance..What's your absolute romantic dream?
Once I thought mine was Paris and maybe in some ways it's still Paris..but now I dream of something else..
A romantic summer night in Italy..
I've never been to Italy..but I imagine it's very romantic..and I am not thinking of a dark, hot Italian man, dressed in white..No,no!
I have my own dark and hot man ;), Thank you!
I imagine the nights are warm and smell of olives, tomatoes and sea..I guess somewhere, in the back of my mind, there are lights
hanging out of frees and love songs in the air..

Franco Manca entrance

If there is romance I think I will fall in love, that's what I do, but I expect to fall in love with Italian food!

Sourdough bread at Franco Manca

And I am sure this will happen if the pizza is at least as good as the one we had at Frano Manca in Chiswick, London. We've heard a lot of things about Franco Manca and it took us a while to move our b..ts down to Chiswick to try it. But it was sooo worth it. The place was packed when we got there and looked very lively with loads of parents and kids. We didn't have to wait long, though, around 3 minutes and we had our own table! Yes! We got our drinks, two lovely lemonades and started reading through the pizza menu.

Lemonade

We were hungry and couldn't wait to order! It took a while, but nothing to complain about, as we had our lemonades and they were the best ones we had soo far. A perfect balance of sweetness and tartness. Loved them!

Lemonade at Franco Manca

We finally ordered. I asked for no. 4 pizza, the one with: Gloucester old spot ham, mozzarella, buffalo ricotta and wild mushrooms.

Pizza nr. 4

Mr.M had the "Meat special" one - loads of meat and lovely mozzarella.

Meat special

I can't tell you how delighted we were.
It's safe to say that Franco Manca's pizza is the best we ever had by far.
The base was just fluffy and soo tasty, here it is to the sourdough base!! Delicious!
Mine was just creamy and light and Mr.M's was a bit more on the meaty side and a bit more salty, but just as good.
I can't find enough words to tell you how good it was.

Meat special

We love pizza so we had a lot in lots of places and even had pizza after we went to Franco Manca, but they all seem so dull, lack taste and elegance.
Franco Manca's pizza is not smothered in tomato juice, doesn't have everything on it and they don't do slim bases. Great! We don't need any of that anymore. Just give us Franco Manca pizza all day long!
I honestly can't wait to give it another try.

Pizza nr. 4

Maybe I can save some money as well..no need to go to Italy anymore, as I am already in love with Italian food, it seems..
Anyway I might find it a bit difficult to travel..if I continue to eat pizza, pizza, pizza ;)
I guess it's a good thing I already found my dark hot guy ;)

http://www.francomanca.co.uk/
1. Franco Manca 144 Chiswick High Road, London, W4 1PU
Price, for two people: aprox £20 for 2 pizza and 2 drinks non alcoholic drinks. Service is not included on the bill.

Red London and a new job

noreply@blogger.com (Raluca) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 10:01:00 +0000

I've got a new job..
Like every new job, I need to learn a lot over a short period of time..I am not complaining..but it does take a lot of my time..
So..less time to write my blog..as I am just hammered when I get home...
But this too shall pass..(I hope) and I will be back and running soon.

I am waiting for spring also and summer..and strawberries, proper summer, sweet strawberries

Strawberries at Borough Market London

This picture is part on my new "Red London" project. Check it out on Flickr.
See you soon!

Thai boxing and Rosa’s

noreply@blogger.com (Raluca) — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 10:57:00 +0000

Until a couple of months ago, I need to admit, my knowledge of Thai food was limited..really limited. I mainly thought, it is just like Chinese food but it comes from the same country as Thai boxing, so basically..nothing special. Oh I was so wrong!
Thai food is really special, in my opinion, something worth trying and I think Rosa’s is just the place that convinced me of this.
Not because they have Thai boxers by the entrance, prepared to convince you, you did like the food :), but because every dish I tasted was good, service is nice and the atmosphere is relaxed and the décor has nice modern Asian touches.

Thai fish cakes

I love the reddish light in the restaurant and the coat hangers just appearing from the walls. I love the fact the employees don’t speak great English, but they smile a lot and it's important.

Inside Rosa's

I’ve been to Rosa’s twice, so far and I am going to tell you all about our second visit.
This time, because we were more informed about Thai food :), we knew exactly what we wanted to try, to help us decide if Rosa’s is worth a place in our Top 5 places to eat Thai.
There are two things we try almost every time, when in a Thai restaurant: satay chicken and fish cakes.
This time we went for the "Thod Mun Pla" which means: "deep fried curry fish cakes" and they were really what we expected them to be. They had a fishy delicate taste, with a nice hint of red curry and coriander and the perfect rubbery texture, that makes them so special compared to any other fish cakes.
Maybe we wouldn’t have found them so special if they were served alone, but the sweet chilli sauce was just perfect: sweet, sour and spicy, the perfect compliment.

Fish cakes

We were happy with the starter, but we did order main courses. You know us, we love to eat! :)

I picked the "Nuar Nam Man Hoy" = "stir fried beef fillet with vegetables in oyster sauce" and Jasmin rice.
Did I like it? So much, that I even tried to cook it at home (maybe I’ll tell you about this some day). The beef was really juicy and tender, in real contrast with the crunchy veggies: broccoli, carrots and the French beans. They made the entire dish feel fresh and light. The sauce was the highlight of this dish, I think.
It is so perfectly balanced (not the way mine turned up..that’s for sure..) between sweet, salty and fishy, with hints of Soya and chilli. Loved it!

Beef in oyster sauce

I would have licked all my fingers if I could, but it wasn’t really necessary as the rice help me with that. No need to embarrass myself there :).

Mr. M has a favourite when it comes to Thai food and it is the Pad Thai, so this is what he had: chicken Pad Thai.
I think Rosa’s was one of the best Pad Thai we have had so far. (Still I can’t wait to eat my Pad Thai on an obscure street in Thailand). Coming back, the noodles were perfectly cooked and were perfectly tossed in a lovely sauce, not too sweet and in the same time nicely sour from that drop of lime I imagine they added to this dish.
The meat was nice and tender and the crunchy bean sprouts brought another dimension to the dish.
I couldn’t fault it.

Pad Thai

Can’t comment on dessert as we didn’t have any, and to be honest I can’t remember if they’ve got any on their menu..
Anyway we will come back to Rosa’s when craving Thai food, maybe one day we will even meet a Thai boxer :).

http://rosaslondon.com/
1. Rosa’s Soho 48 Dean St. London W1D 5BF
Price, for two people: aprox £30 for 1 starter "to share" and 2 main coursed, plus non alcoholic drinks: I had a chilled lemongrass and Mr.M a Coke. I do believe they sell alcohol, but not completely sure.
Service was not included, but it will be a 10% if you are more than 6.