Unexpected guests? Oh No? Oh yeah! Bring it on!

I have no idea if you've ever been in this situation- you come back home, you're tired and somebody calls you to say " yeah, I'm nearby, I'll pop over for 5 minutes, I haven't seen you so long". No? Maybe it's just me.

( sorry for the crappy pics, ipads do not take good photos)
<- crakers with cheddar cheese and strawberries, plain crackers with goat cheese, pear slices sprinkled with cayenne pepper. Next are rosette slices folded,cherry tomatoes, and strawberries.

<- crackers with cheddar cheese and pear slices, rosette, pear, more cheese, tomatoes, and sliced strawberries

 Please mind the gap

<- these are pepper crackers with cream cheese, chopped chives and a strawberry slice, next to some cherry tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and radish sprouts for a kick

 <- Basicaly the same as upstairs, except with rosette salami, and sliced pear
















Anyway, a list of snack staples to keep around the house for times like this. Or when you don't really feel like cooking. Let everybody else do it. Their way. Let's smorgasbord! Love the word by the way :)
This is a list of things to have ( but you don't need to have all of them at once:))and how to serve"

Fridge:

• smoked salmon, sliced, served with lemon and fresh dill, serve on salad
• cream cheese philadefia, in a small bowl and butter knife
• edam, gouda, cheddar cheese, in small pieces or slices, any cheese can do
• small bowl of cherry tomatoes, or served in clusters with cheese or cold meat
• bunch of radishes, sliced or with the stems for easy holding
• carrots, cut in stalks, in a glass
• celery, cut in stalks, in a glass
• lettuce, served on crackers, sandwiches, or in small bowls, or as dressing
• lemon, cut in wedges for drinks or seasoning
• jar of mini pickles, served in small bowls, or cut in stalks, on a salad bed
• pickles of any kind (radishes, gherkins, carrots,) served as a topping or aside on salad
• pearl onion pickles, in a small bowl, with toothpicks
• french pate in a jar ( comes from carrefour, quite handy), serve with a butter knife
• cold meat (rozette, cured sirloin, kabanosy), cut in small slices, on a plate, or on crackers
• cured baco, can wrap up prunes for baking, or fry it up, or fold it like a ribbon, serve on salad
• butter, small pieces, on plates, or a small bowl, with butter knife
• fresh cucumber, thin slices, on salad or a plate
• small bell pepper, half cut in thin slices, half diced for toppings or nibbling on, in a glass
• mayonaise, small jar, served in small bowl, or on crakers with toppings
• hoummus, in small bowl around the table
• horseradish, small jar, in small bowl
• greek joghurt- small bowl for making dips and sauces

 Freezer:

• pancakes- which you can make from here and freeze
• waffles- buy them ready made if , like me, you don't have the waffle maker, and freeze in ziploc bags
• shrimps
• baguette
• loaf of bread ( you can defrost it in 15 minute in your oven, preheat 180C, just wet your bread first)
• frozen dumplings with cheese filling, or kopytka
• frozen pizza ( our fav: Ristorante for 20 min bake for a nice crunchy crust)
• leftover lasagne sauce, or lasagne, or stuffed bell peppers
• green beans 
• fava beans for nibbling on

Cupboard:

• can of chickpeas ( to make hoummus or minestrone soup)
• small can of corn (for salads, or as a fast, cheap side dish, or to add to a soup for more oumff)
• can of tuna ( for pasta, pizza, sandwiches, salads, your cat)
• small can of pineapple ( for dessert, cocktails, thai food, cravings)
• raisins, cranberries, almonds, pine nuts, dried apples, prunes ( for baking, nibbling, cooking stews, desserts, meat)
• applesauce (cookies, cakes, pies, cravings, on waffles, or pancakes, to serve with duck)
• maple syrup ( pancakes, drinks, coffee, cookies, marinades )
• box of dried herbs (oregano, basil, parsley, dill, garlic salt, onion, curry, cayenne pepper, tarragon, sea salt, colored pepper corns)
• olives- black, green or verde (yum!) to snack on
• crackers
• jam ( great for pancakes, crepes, cookies)

For me, these are must haves, and it helps out a lot, especially when I'm really lazy:)

Kitchen essentials: canned and jar-ed food

All the cans you need in the world :)

• chickpeas
• chopped tomatoes
• whole tomatoes
• red beans
• corn
• green peas
• tuna, 
• olives
• coconut milk
• tomato puree
• tomato paste
• gherkins
• duck ( for those special occasions)
• peaches
• pineapple
• cherries
• nutella
• baked bell peppers
• jalapenos
• asparagus ( for tarts, or salads)
• coffee ground ( Illy coffee is supposed to be the best)

Kitchen essential: tools

Stuff you should have in your kitchen if you plan on cooking on a daily basis.

• veggie peeler
• pestle and mortar ( get this if you really are going to cook a lot of curries)
• tongs
• set of 3 knives
• kettle
• baking tray ( I use the one from my oven, but I also have 2 smaller ones for cakes or bread)
• cooling rack ( can use the rack in your oven)
• baking dish- 2 sizes medium and large
• casserole dish (oval)
• blender, or hand mixer with all the attachements (- mine is a Bosch, I've had it for 8 years, I'm still happy)
• a big pot with lid
• a medium pot with lid
• a small saucepan with lid
• Frying pans- 3 sizes
• grill pan ( for those cute grill marks and barbecue like food)
• grater or a mandolin
• Set of 3 or more nesting bowls
• Chopping board
• scale
• sieve and collander
• measuring cup/jug
• measuring spoon ( but usually a tablespoon and teaspoon will be perfect)
• wooden spatula
• wooden spoon
• set of salad spoons
• whisk
• slotted spoon
• plastic spatula
• can opener
• garlic crusher
• bottle opener and corkscrew :)
• laddle
• potato masher
• rolling pin ( although for a few years I managed with a wine bottle- very smart of me)
• silpat or any other silicon mat for baking
• deep fry skimmer ( I don't know what I would do withour it)
• tin foil
• cling wrap
• parchement paper
• salad spinner ( or you can go outside with the salad wrapped in a clean cloth and swing it aroynd your head for a minute. Works too)
• toaster
• oven
• clean kitchen cloths

Kitchen essentials: dry goods, liquids and herbs

This is a list of dry goods you should have in your kitchen to make like a ton of things ;)

You can buy this over time, but the sauces for asian cuisine are expensive, so it's good to look around for some good deals on asian- themed weeks at store.
And they last a long time.

Dried goods:

• pasta ( penne, spaghetti, tagliatelle, lasagne)
• glass noodles 
• basmati rice
• plain white rice
• risotto rice ( arborio)
• couscous
• lentils
• breadcrumbs
• plain flour
• sugar
• confectioners sugar
• cocoa powder
• dried yeast
• rolled oats
• baking powder
• baking soda
• vanilla sugar
• palm sugar

 Liquids and sauces:

• olive oil, regular and extra virgin
• vegetable oil ( palm oil, sesame oil,  or sunflower oil)
• rice vinegar
• white vinegar
• red wine vinegar
• balsamic vinegar from Modena
• honey
• vanilla essence
• soy sauce ( light or dark)
• worcestershire sauce
• fish sauce
• ketchup
• mustard dijon
• mayonaise
• lime juice ( when it's hard to get limes, this does the trick, but it's best to buy a ton of limes and freeze the juice)
• chili sauce
• tabasco/habanero sauce ( depends how far you can go without burning)

Get a shoe box and store your herbs in it for less mess:)

Stock cubes:

• chicken stock
• beef stock
• vegetable stock
• fish stock

Basic Spices:

• sea salt ( coarse and regular)
• table salt
• black pepper
• cayenne pepper
• lemon pepper
• red pepper
• green pepper
• dried  red chili flakes
• cinamon ( sticks and ground)
• nutmeg (whole for grating)
• oregano
• basil
• dried groung ginger
• lemongrass
• thyme
• tarragon
• marjoram
• tumeric
• coconut cream powder
• sweet paprika
• granulated garlic
• parsley
• dill
• garlic salt
• corainder seeds
• mustard seeds
• laurel/bay leaves
• cumin seeds
• curry powder

Hoummus

I'm really shocked. Seriously. How could you buy hoummus!?

First of all, stop buying it. Even the Kosher kind is wacky compared to the stuff you can really easily make by yourself.

All you need is a blender:)
And love:)

Let's do it!

Type of dish: side, paste, dip
Cost: cheap
Difficulty: easy
Serves: 4
Time: 5 min!!!!
Preparation time: 5 min


You'll need:
a knife, a can opener, a hand blender or blender, a medium sized bowl, spoon, teaspoon

Ingredients:

• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 1 garlic clove ( add more and other's will know  you've had hoummus)
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• juice from one lemon
• olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• optional: cayenne pepper

In your blender, or bowl (if you only have a hand blender), put in the chickpeas, mustard, garlic clove, 1/3 of the lemon juice, a pinch of S&P and about 1/2 cup olive oil. Start blending. Check after 2 minutes to taste, add more salt, pepper, lemon juice or olive oil.  When you have a thick, even paste, you're done. Serve with warm pita bread or vegetable sticks.

IT'S THAT EASY!

Additional information: To make red hoummus, add to the blender 1 or 2 dried tomatoes. And don't salt until you've tried it.
You can also add tahini paste, which is made from sesame seeds, but why bother. You can drizzle more olive oil over the finished hoummus, for example, truffle oil, or spicy oils. Man, it's good. Experiment a bit to find what taste you like most. You can also add some pumpkin seeds to the finished paste.

ps. You can use a tsp of tahini if you have it, but it's not really that nescessary. I live without it.

Make your own Cheese: Ricotta

Today's first edition of having enough of it- you can't find what you need in the stores- either you go without it, or like me, when I really can't substitute the product for anything else, I start running around all the shops in my district to find it or not (sobs violently).
I'm making lasagne for dinner tonight with or friends, and of course, same problem as last time: no ricotta cheese to be found. I checked if there is something to substitute it with, but found instead I can make ricotta, for half the price I'd pay for ready- made.
It's so easy that you really don't want to try. It makes you lazy." What? Make cheese so fancy like ricotta and you make it yourself? And it's going to be good? Not a waste of time? Huh? Nah, I won't make it."
At least that's the thought process I had when reading about cheese making.
Which, to be precise, ricotta isn't actually a cheese, it's a by-product from making mozzarella cheese, which leaves whey. You originally make ricotta from adding acid to the whey and gathering the curdles which make the ricotta. But I haven't got fresh buffala milk or sheep milk, Just regular UHT cow milk, which works just fine. If you somehow manage to lay your hands on fresh milk straight from the cow:), use it, and your ricotta will be probably much more creamier than the one made using UHT milk. Lucky you:)

It has to be at least 3% milk ( If you don't have percentage markings of milk on the carton, just try to get the fattest milk possible, or cream. So regular milk, full milk, whole milk, creamy milk ( I've seen somewhere milk called like that), and cream.

So the process is actually very simple, you just need to look at your saucepan for around 10 min so nothing burns or spills over, and get a clean cloth for draining. And if you have a candy or deep fry thermometre, lucky you. I don't have one, although it's on my wishlist, so I look deep into my saucepan.

So what will you need:
a wide saucepan ( 2-5l), spoon, teaspoon,  sieve, 8 clean cheescloths, or a very tightly woven piece of white, uncolored fabric, a medium bowl

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream ( highest percentage, or creme fraiche if you have it)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Get a life:
In the saucepan mix together the milk, cream and salt. Put on medium high heat and start looking with a handy spoon on hand. Or if you have a thermometre, clip it on and you should get to 88C. Stir occasionaly with the spoon to prevent burning from the bottom. So when it starts to heat up, there starts forming a foamy like texture on the milk, turn of the heat, remove the saucepan and add the lemon juice. Mix gently and slowly, and set aside for 10 mins for the curdles to form.
Put your seive, with the cloth inlaid, on top of the medium bowl. Pour the mixture through the seive, letting the yellowish liquid (whey) drip through into the bowl, leaving you with the curds left in the cheesecloth. Leave this for at least one hour. The longer you leave it to drip, the ricotta gets firmer. To get creamy cheese, one hour is just right. Transfer to a small bowl or a airtight box and store in fridge. Eat or use right away because it good and you can say :" I made it mysef!".

Voila, your first cheese homemade. And it works, and it's good.

Additional information:
Serve on a fresh slice of french bread, a baguette, pizza bread with prosciutto and rucola, on top of cherry tomato halves, sprinkled with honey and thyme, or salt and pepper, or a spirnkle of cayenne pepper and perhaps a sliver of young zucchini... Endless posibilities.

Pizza 101

There seems to be a lot of weird info going around about making pizza. So here's what I do to get my pizza always good.

1.
Always when baking dough stuff, close the windows. If it's windy, it gets cold. When it's cold, dough on yeast, like pizza, doesn't rise. Or if it's raining, same thing happens. That's why it's always so warm in pizzerias. Closed window and doors. That's why I start pizza season during fall. You get really warm:)
2.
Always get the oven preheated. Always at least 190-200C.When I open the oven to put the pizza in, the heat has gotta hits me in the face. Sorry, but thats basically how it works for me. Try not to wear too much makeup for this step or try to keep your face on the side when doing this.

3.
Layers of toppings on pizza. If you put on sauce, then veggies and meat, THEN cheese, during the baking, the cheese will melt, and the stuff underneath will be scorching hot, cooked, but not baked.  So next time, put on the sauce, then the cheese, then the toppings. Trust me, you will have an awesome pizza.
4.
Usualy we put pizza on cold trays and then put it in the oven to bake. WRONG. Heat up the tray in the oven, and prep your toppings in bowls or ready to throw on the pizza positions. How do you do it the right way? Heat up the pan, yell for somebody to help you take out the tray in 3 minutes.This give them time to reply "coming", "in a moment", enough so they finally come. Start stretching out the dough, as much as you can. Then the person takes out the hot pan, puts it down, smears some olive oil on it, then you put on the pizza dough. Next, the sauce and toppings. And put it back in the oven for 15-20 min. The olive oil will help you take off the pizza once it's done, the hot pan will make the rust crispy and evenly baked. If you don't have a helper, order pizza in, or take out the tray before stretching the dough.
5.
Bake and make one pizza at a time. You have the time, customers in pizzerias don't.
If you put in 2 pizzas at once, you lower the temperature of the oven, meaning it takes longer to bake the pizza. And anyway, during the time you're eating the first one, the second is done.
6.
Don't put everything you can and have on a pizza. Some things, like artichoke hearts, need to be prepared before putting them on a pizza. you have to drain them, cut them, make sure they don't leak. otherwise, you'll get a soppy pizza. Bleah. Toppings should be possibly dry, ar as thick as can possible be ( like spinache puree, or tomato sauce). Don't put slices of tomatoes on your pizza, or it'll be soggy and burn your mouth. Think about it this way: if I can bake it dry but a little bit moist in the oven in 15-20 min, it's good for pizza topping to go. If it isn't, you can wait for the ready pizza and then top it, just before eating.
7.
Baking time: if you have a hot hot oven, for a large pizza it takes 15-20 mins. You have to start looking at the pizza after 10 min in the oven, looking if the crust is browning evenly, is the cheese melting, bubbling, turning brown. Last minute warning for goodbye- pizza is bark brown cheese. You've lost it. So the moment you take it out, is when a crust is formng out of the cheese.
So look after your cheese.
8.
 Pizza baking stones. Hmm. You can buy it, but to be truthful, it's not worth it in my opinion. The stone is smaller than your oven baking tray which you get free with your oven, heavier, you have to know how to clean it properly. And somehow, probably by pure unicorn magic, you transport the flat sour dough pizza with topping and all in the oven, on the stone, without one of those long sticks with a wooden shovel on one end. Or you can take it out, and shout with joy, cause the m*(&^&effer is much thicker than a tray and therefor, then it heats up, it heats up good. Think of brunt fingers. I can't. That's why I use the tray method. Second thing, what if you can make the exact size pizza as the baking stone? What then? What? Cut it up? But if you are a real true kitchen geek and you need the "technology" to make you a better cook, get a stone for heavens sake and gimme a break.
9.
Fancy those pizza's with fresh rucola on top?  Creamy goat cheese topped with freshly ground black pepper? That delicious cured ham that's disgusting once baked? The key to this is: Bake the dough with the sauce, and eventually, some cheese on top. After baking it, put on these toppings, drizzle with some truffle infused olive oil, sprinkle with soft cheese and halfs of cherry tomatoes. Yumm.
It'll look beautiful too. Take a picture and post it somewhere. Yum.


Oka, I think thats all you need to know about pizza baking/making.
Have fun kids, and look after your fingers!

Knife time

As you can see a lot of the recipes involve a lot of chopping. Or mincing.  When I got married we bought a cheapo Ikea knife that was good to use ( I still use it), but it's a little bit too light and the rubber handle tends to flake after some time. Here it is, my FIRST: 

Ikea 365+ Cooks knife

Then, after 6 years I finaly found a better knife- heavier, better in hold, with a wooden handle. A chef's knife. No picture though, sorry. I think that a knife is the same like a sword- it should be the extension of your arm, not too heavy and not too light, but just perfect. That's probably why I look like a crazy person in a store, waving around knives in an aisle, searching for the best balance and weight. Not too long and not too short. Basicly I use my knife for everything- chopping mincing, cuttig, meat, veggies, fruit, bread, the lot. I use it compleatly and don't bother with a million types of knives specially designed to do shit.  Why wash up more later? A knife should most of all be sharp and sharpable(?) - I hate those knives that are pretty and shiny but you can't sharpen them for your life. I want to throw them out the window, but it's still dangerous so usually I try to "loose" them.

The cooks and chef's knife is pretty easy to use, good for chopping without the blade leaving the board with is supposed to make it easier to cut, but I got a little tired of it.

HaHA!

So, on Tuesday we went for a shopping trip to Ikea to buy a desk for T, and I got all samurai in the kitchen department and FOUND MY KNIFE:)
Look at it:)

My baby- Ikea 365+ Gnistra

Now this is a sick mathafaka. Sharp as hell, with a large straight blade which makes cutting bread and cold meats thin and evenly sooooo much easier. It's like a mercedes of my knives.
I really have to watch out with this one, bacause I already cut 2 fingers in the ridiculous process of cutting in hand ( STUPID!), plus 2 swiped fingernails. DRAMA. Aside from the injuries, this is the best knife I've ever had. Heavy enough and not too heavy that my hand hurts, the handle is plastic but grippy, has the grovels on both sides of the blade which makes the produce you're actually cutting fall away from the blade instead of sticking to it. But I still have to do the feta cheese test- to see how that one goes.
So far, so good.  Easy to clean too, did I mention that?
So far- this is my best purchase in the best price- 40zl!
The chef's knife cost me 75zl on sale in Piaseczno Outlet, and the previous Ikea one cost 30zl.

What is your best knife?

Jammy sandwich

I was in Brussels this weekend, and our friends recommended going to a great place for breakfast (as for brunch it's overfilled with people ). You sit down and order what you want to eat-  we ordered cappucinos and a basket of fresh baked breads. At your table is around 6-10 different jams and spreads (sweet stuff like their kind of nutella), and you eat what you want to. But we had a problem, wanting to try out all the jam tastes so we made a colorful jammy sandwich, which basicly involves smearing jam in stripes over your slice of bread. This allows you to try all the jams, they don't mix together and the taste is perfect:). So if you have many jams you like but don't eat every day- this is an option for you. On this particular piece of bread in the photo there is from the top: butter, fig jam, sweet orange jam and raspberry jam. Also, this is so nice loking that the kids sitting not far away from us also wanted some! Great way to feed your babies!

Foolproof tomato soup

I know, I know. Another tomato soup. I can bet you it's not going to be the last one either. But We're sharing this one with you because, well, it's foolproof. It never goes wrong. It's fast to make. Easy on the stomache. Good for the soul. You get the picture. Really, try this out.

Type of dish: soup

Cost: cheap

Difficulty:  easy

Time:  10 min

Serves: 2-4

Cooking time: 10 min

What you need to make this dish:

2 medium saucepans, ladle, spoon, teaspoon, colander, bowls to serve

Ingredients:

• Any kind of small pasta, 1 1/2 cup
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 2 tbsp tomato concentrate (or paste)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 squeeze of lemon juice
• Pepper
• Salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• Creme Fraiche (sour cream)

How to prepare:

Bring water to boil in both pots. In one of them, put in the stock cube and tomato paste and mix around. In the other pot, give a pinch of salt and throw in the pasta to cook the time according to package. In the soup pot, add the butter, salt, pepper, sugar and lemon juice, mix well, taste to see if it needs more salt, or pepper. Don't add any more sugar! Once the pasta is cooked, drain and divide in bowls. Pour in some soup to each bowl, add a spoon of sour cream on top and additionally garnish with fresh basil leaves of fresh cut parsley. Serve!

Additional information: 

You can make the soup more thick, by mixing half a cup of soup with a teaspoon of flour. This was our grannies method for bad times, when cream was scarce. Still, this soup works with flour, and cream. 

AE showed me a cool trick with basil today. Take a basil leaf  in your hand and clap them once. The basil releases it's fragrant aromas, and you can either serve it whole, or slice it. Enjoy!