Coffee and Vanilla

Vienna Doughnuts / Pączki Wiedeńskie

Margot — Sat, 25 May 2013 14:47:48 +0000

INGREDIENTS

160 g vegetable shortening (I used Kasia)
2 cups plain flour
2 cups of boiling water
2½ tsp baking powder
½ cup potato flour
2 pinches of salt
1 tbs of golden caster sugar
8 whole eggs
1½ l oil for frying (I used rapeseed oil)

for topping

icing sugar to sprinkle

icing sugar and lemon or orange juice (only enough to dissolve the sugar) to make icing

EQUIPMENT

wooden spoon
medium pot (to cook the dough)
mixing bowl
large / wide pot (for frying)
piping bag without or with large nozzle
small square pieces of baking paper
pastry brush if using icing
hand mixer
tongs
paper kitchen towels

METHOD

Heat water in a medium pot together with vegetable shortening, until all melted.
In meantime combine flours, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Quickly stir flours into the pot with water, heat and mix with wooden spoon to create springy ball of dough.
Remove from fire, transfer dough to the mixing bowl.
Using hand mixer combine dough with eggs adding them gradually.
Continue mixing until the dough is very smooth.
Fill piping bag with it to create circles on baking paper pieces.
In a large pot heat the oil.
One by one slide dough circles (together with paper) into the oil.
Fry on both sides peeling off the paper with tongs.
Drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
Sprinkle with icing sugar or brush with icing while still hot.
Leave aside to cool down.

Makes about 20 medium doughnuts or many more small ones .

Happy National Doughnut Day to all readers in US & Canada!

NOTES

Vienna doughnuts should be round with holes in the middle like those from Endless Song of Happiness but I forgot to get piping bags so I scooped them into oil with table spoon, hence the free style shape.

Pączki Wiedeńskie are also called oponki (tires) or gniazdka (nests) because of their shape.

National Doughnut Day is celebrated on the first Friday of June that will take place on June 7th this year.

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Thank you, Margot

Vienna Doughnuts / Pączki Wiedeńskie

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Cupboard Pasta Salad with Tuna & Pineapple

Margot — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:56:48 +0000

INGREDIENTS

3 x 200 g tins of tuna in brine (drained)
500 g pasta (I used penne)
2 x 400 g tin of pineapple chunks (drained)
2 x 400 g tin of red kidney beans (drained)
400 g tin of sweet corn (drained)
rainbow peppercorns
½ tbs of dried oregano or Caribbean herb mix (with oregano)
about half of 400 g jar of mayonnaise
a bit of sea salt – to taste

METHOD

Cook pasta, drain nd leave aside to cool down a bit.
Combine all ingredients and enjoy either in room temperature or cooled down.

Serves 4-6 people as a main dish or many more as a snack.

NOTES

Pasta can be easily replaced with cooked rice in this recipe.

More tuna salad ideas:

Rice Salad with Tuna, Corn and Parsley

Salad Nicoise a la Cook Sister

Cannellini Bean Tuna Salad with Sweet Corn and Caribbean Herbs

Couscous and Tuna Salad

Tricolour Pasta Salad with Tuna, Mediterranean Veggies and Caribbean Herbs

Tuna, Dill and Sweet Corn Sandwich Filler and Pasta Salad

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Reducing Food Waste with NLWA – North London Waste Authority & Love Food Hate Waste

Margot — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:51:24 +0000

pasta measuring tool

A while ago together with girls from recycled art class I got a chance to listen to eye-opening talk by Toby of NLWA – North London Waste Authority about Love Food Hate Waste project that make me realize how much things and food we actually waste in our household.

Leftover food does not really get wasted in our house as there is always someone willing to eat it next day for lunch but we do eat too much pasta and rice so those measuring tools come very handy.

rice measuring cup

There is many ways of reducing food waste, one of them is simply placing certain fruit & veg in a cool place, such as apples, they can stay fresher for longer in the fridge rather than in a fruit bowl (something I definitely have to start doing).

Another way is to freeze veggies that are not going to be used before expiry date.

I often chop and freeze vegetables that I know that won’t get used soon, such as green peppers for scrambled eggs, carrots, parsnips and leeks for the soup. Freezing herbs is also great way of keeping them fresh.

Personally I freeze also yoghurts, frozen mini pots and tubes are perfect for luchboxes, they keep lunch food cold and defrost just on time for the lunch break.

I like to drink tea but not very strong so I usually re-use the same tea bag for the whole day.

Household waste can be reduced by reusing items before recycling them finally.

Many plastic and glass containers can be turned into all kinds of boxes, newspapers can have second life as coasters and baskets, printed papers can be re-used for scribbling on the other side, envelopes can have new address labels attached to be posted again…

I would love to hear your tips and tricks on how to reduce waste, please feel free to leave a comment.

To learn more visit Wise Up To Waste website.

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Home-made Oven Baked Fries Supreme / Papas Supreme à la Taco Bell

Margot — Sun, 19 May 2013 18:28:58 +0000

for the nacho mince

400-500 g turkey mince
1 onion (diced)
2 tbs oil for frying
400 g tin of chopped tomatoes
400g tin of red kidney beans or refried beans
½ cup of boiling water
2-3 tbs tomato purée
1 tbs smoked paprika powder
1 tsp soft dark brown sugar
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chilli flakes - optional
salt - to taste

to serve

oven baked fries
cheese sauce for fries and nachos (optionally skip the chive and use Red Leicester cheese for orangey colour)
handful of freshly chopped coriander
bell or red pointed pepper (diced) or even chilli pepper for extra heat
soured cream or crème fraiche

EQUIPMENT

3 large baking trays lined with baking paper
large pot or deep frying pan with lid to cook the mince
small pot / saucepan for the cheese sauce

METHOD

Put fries in the oven.
In meantime fry the onions on oil until browned.
Stir in turkey mince and fry some more.
Add rest of the ingredients and cook covered until meat is cooked through and sauce is not too watery.
Prepare also the cheese sauce.
Once fries are ready arrange them on the plates.
Top with some of the turkey mince.
Pour over cheese sauce.
Sprinkle over with peppers and coriander.
Finish off with generous dollop of soured cream.

Serves 4-6 people.

NOTES

When I was growing up in Warsaw, there used to be Taco Bell near Rotunda, they served fries topped with cheese & chive sauce. Later on when I was working on the cruise ship I remember Papas Supreme from Taco Bell in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Unfortunately there is no Taco Bell restaurant nowhere near me in London so I tried to recreate those flavours from the past at home using healthier, oven baked fries…

Nacho mince is very versatile, it can be served not only with nachos, tacos (corn shells filled with mince, lettuce, guacamole etc.) but also inside burritos (tortilla wraps with mince and other trimmings).

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Za’atar also called Zatar, Zahter or Satar

Margot — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:03:48 +0000

Ordering groceries online has it’s up- and downsides. One of the advantages is that sometimes I’m getting mysterious replacement giving me chance of discovering something I would not think of buying myself. That was the case with Zahter (blended thyme) that was sent as dried thyme substitute…

Za’atar also called Zaatar, Za’tar, Zatar, Zahter, Zatr, Zattr, Zahatar, Satar is generic name for family of herbs that include oregano, thyme and savory.

Zatar means as well spice blend containing thyme, sesame seeds, sumac, cumin, coriander, fennel and salt. It is popular in Middle Easter and Arabic cuisines, especially in Armenia, Iran, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey. It is often eaten with pita or other bread and olive oil. Likewise it can be mixed with olive oil and used to brush bread before baking.

Zatar (the blend) is very versatile and quite addictive spice. I can easily see myself adding it to yogurt or cream cheese based dips, mixing it into couscous dishes and spreading it with extra virgin olive oil on my bread at any occasion.

Looking for za’atr recipes?

Jeanne made some zatar grilled halloumi cheese.

Kalyn baked whole wheat bread with feta and zaatar.

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Filo Pastry Nests with Feta Cheese & Black Olives

Margot — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:14:02 +0000

INGREDIENTS

200 g feta cheese
pitted black olives
270g / 6 sheets ready, chilled filo / phyllo pastry
olive oil for brushing
a bit of water/milk to mash feta cheese

EQUIPMENT

muffin / scone tray or two or other small baking containers, silicone muffin cases will be fine as well
pastry brush

METHOD

Mash feta cheese with a bit of water or milk.
Spread and cut filo pastry into square pieces.
I did cut all 6 sheets together in half, making 2 large squares and then divided each square into 9 squares getting 18 small squares but it would be probably better to take 3 sheets at the time, cut them in half and then into 4 to get 16 larger and thinner squares.
Either way, place the squares on brushed with oil trays.
Fill each square with about 1 tsp of mashed feta cheese.
Top with olives.
Bake in the oven preheated to 190°C (374°F) for about 15 minutes or until pastry is starting to look golden brown.
Serve warm or cold.

Makes 16-18 nests.

NOTES

They taste extremely good while still warm with pea soup or cooled down on their own.

Olives can be easily replaced with some roasted peppers or sundried tomatoes.

Looking for more feta recipes?

Try Michelle’s minty potato and zucchini feta cakes.

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DIY Crochet Cactus Pins & Needles Cushion

Margot — Tue, 14 May 2013 20:52:34 +0000

Since I saw the first crochet cactus on Pinterest I just had to have it… I’m still planning to make couple more cute mini cactuses with flowers for my window seal but first I had to make this gigantic one to store all my pins and needles that were all over the place. Now they stand safely on the top of our CD shelf, far away from little hands.

MATERIALS

green and dark yarn: black or brown for 4 mm hook
plant pot
piece of Styrofoam packaging (broken into pieces)
spare sock

EQUIPMENT

4 mm crochet hook

METHOD

stitches used: chain (ch), single crochet (sc), half double crochet (hdc), slip stich (sl)

To make the cactus follow instructions for the apple cosy but make the base a bit bigger if you have plenty pins.
Once the cactus is long enough start decreasing: skipping some of the stitches in the foundation to make the cactus base thinner.
Connect dark yarn and start working again hdc around and around until the dirt part is tall enough to fill the pot, close with sl.
Make crochet chain, thread it around the edge of the base.
Fill spare sock with broken pieces of Styrofoam, stuff cactus with it, tie the sock, tie the cactus with the crochet chain.
Place the whole thing in the pot and start using ready cactus plant to store all your pins & needles.

NOTES

It may be easier to make the cactus first and then look for the plant pot that will match it.

Use green sock if possible, other colours may be visible through the cactus surface (mine was red as you can see).

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Quick and Easy Chicken Korma Curry From Scratch

Margot — Sun, 12 May 2013 11:45:58 +0000

INGREDIENTS

1 large onion (diced)
oil or butter for frying
3-4 chicken breasts (cubed)
500g potatoes (cubed)
500g carrots (sliced)
2 cups of water
½ cup dessicated coconut (chopped cashews or flaked almonds can be used instead)
1 cup of coconut milk powder
2 tbs garlic mince or garlic powder
1 tbs ginger mince or some ginger powder
2 tbs medium curry powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp ground cumin
red bell pepper (diced)
handful of coriander leaves (chopped)
4 tbs soured cream or yoghurt
sea salt to taste

to serve

toasted / grilled naan bread
cooked basmati rice

METHOD

In a large pot place onions with a bit of oil or butter and fry for a while, until onions are browned.
Add chicken, carrots, potatoes and fry some more.
Reduce the fire, add water, dessicated coconut, coconut milk powder, garlic, ginger, curry powder, turmeric, cumin and simmer covered until vegetables and chicken are soft.
Remove from fire, stir in freshly chopped coriander and bell peppers.
Season to taste with salt and soured cream.
Serve to the plates with some basmati rice or/and naan on a side.

Serves 6 people as a main dish.

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DIY Salt Dough Bread Rolls Play Food – Bakery

Margot — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:29:20 +0000

ready salt dough play food – bakery: croissant, pull apart rolls, cinnamon roll, pretzel, baguette, cheese twist, chocolate twist, burger roll, braided bread roll, petit pain roll, kajzer roll and bagel

bread rolls straight from the oven, before being painted

MATERIALS

for the salt dough

2 cups flour (cheapest one, less than £0.50)
1 cup fine salt (cheapest one, less than £0.50)
about 1¼ cup warm water

or previously prepared salt dough

to decorate (later)

clear varnish (I used water based fast drying glossy clear indoor wood varnish from Wilko – £3.34 / 250ml, the tin will last for more than one project)
craft paints ( I used white, red, yellow and black)
poppy seeds, sesame seeds etc.
clear all purpose glue (like Bostik or UHU) – optional

EQUIPMENT

large baking tray lined with baking paper
paint brushes

salt dough pretzel

salt dough burger roll topped with real sesame seeds

salt dough poppy seed roll

salt dough cinnamon roll

salt dough pull apart poppy seed roll

salt dough croissant

salt dough kajzer roll

salt dough braided bread roll

salt dough bagel with real poppy seeds

METHOD

In a mixing bowl combine flour, salt and stir.
Gradually add water and knead the dough until well combined.
Create bread rolls out the salt dough.
Bake bake in the oven preheated to 175°C (350°F) for about 30 minutes or until golden.
Leave aside to cool down completely, or even better for couple of days to make sure they are completely dry.
Paint with craft paints and leave to dry again for day or two.
When the bread rolls are completely dry cover them with varnish, sprinkle with seeds if needed, then again vanish some more to secure the seeds. You can also stick seeds first with clear glue and then varnish once.
Finally leave to dry for at least an hour / according to the instructions on the varnish tin or even better overnight, and voilà, your bread rolls are ready.

Make 1 large tray of rolls.

ready baked and painted salt dough bread rolls

NOTES

We started making also some items for the cake shop, green grocer and café to complement play stove I made while ago… so stay tuned, I will be posting some more images soon (!)

Salt dough does not have to baked (I needed cracked, baked effect), it can be air dried or dried in the oven at the lowest possible setting for very long time.

My daughter took advantage of a situation and made some salt dough tooth and mouth models for her homework (year 3).

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Turkey Kofta Kebabs with Tandoori Masala Mix

Margot — Thu, 09 May 2013 13:39:20 +0000

INGREDIENTS

500 g minced turkey
3 eggs
1 cup fine breadcrumbs
handful fresh coriander (chopped)
2-3 tbs tandoori masala spice mix or other seasoning of choice
1 tsp sea salt - only if seasoning mix is not salted already
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbs sesame seeds
1-2 tbs of water – if necessary
½ cup olive oil for brushing (not necessary if other, not so lean mince meat is used)

to serve

couscous, pita breads or rice
green salad

EQUIPMENT

12 wooden skewers (soaked in water)
silicone brush
mixing bowl
baking tray lined with baking paper

METHOD

In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients for the kebabs, except the olive oil, and mix well, until well combined and sticky.
Divide the turkey mixture into 12 equal portions and stick them onto the skewers.
Place them across the baking tray so the kebabs would not touch the bottom.
Bake in the oven preheated to 200°C (392°F) for about 35 – 45 minutes brushing kebabs in meantime at least twice with olive oil.

Makes 12 kebabs, allow 2-3 per serving.

NOTES

Turkey kofta kebabs would be perfect for outdoor grilling.

Looking for more kebab recipes?

Japanese Yakitori chicken kebabs by Greedy Gourmet

Sticky BBQ chicken sundowners from Cook Sister.

Fish kebabs I used to often make with salmon.

Greek yogurt marinated chicken souvlaki by Valli of More Than Burnt Toast

My family’s favourite Caribbean kebabs with chicken and pineapple.

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