Lemon Poppy Seed Tea Cake

Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf

Yields 1 loaf

200 g plain flour

100 g caster sugar

1 tbs poppy seeds

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

1 tbs grated lemon zest

150 g plain yoghurt

75 g butter, melted

1 egg, beaten

1 egg yolk, beaten

 1 tsp vanilla extract

1.     Preheat the oven to 180 C°.  Prepared the loaf pan with butter

2.     In a bowl, combine the four, sugar, poppy seeds, bicarb and lemon zest

3.     With the remaining wet ingredients combine in another bowl.  Slowly stir in the dry ingredients until just moistened

4.     Spoon into the loaf pan and bake for 30-35 minutes.  To make sure its done use a skewer and insert it into the cake, if it comes out clean then the loaf is done.

5.     Cool for five minutes

For a wonderful glaze:

 Combine 8 tbs sugar with 1 tbs lemon juice, 1 tsp lemon zest, and 1 tsp vanilla extract.

Drizzle over the warm cake when it has cooled

Note: Next time I make this I am going to try doing this with orange zest and poppy seeds!
In this recipe I used my scale and let me tell you it makes a huge difference!

Recipe courtesy of Allrecipies.co.uk 

Fall is finally here!

Chocolate Covered Orange Peels

Yields about 25 pieces

2 oranges peeled (insides discarded)

3 cups Sugar

1 bar quality dark chocolate

1.     Chop the orange peels length wise into two inch pieces

2.     Place water and one cup sugar on medium heat, add the oranges

3.     Once the water comes to a simmer drain the water and blanch (put them in ice cold water for a minute)

4.     Repeat set 3 two more times.

5.     Lay the orange peel out to dry for four or five hours until they have become firm

6.     Melt the chocolate bar in the microwave

7.     Dip each orange peel into the chocolate and let cool

Squaternut Bash Lasagna

Squaternut Bash lasagna (Butternut Squash)

Serving size: 8 people

I box lasagna noodles

I butternut squash (peeled and cut into 1inch pieces)

1 ½ cups whole milk

1 cup all purpose flour

2 tablespoons nutmeg

1 tablespoon basil

2 cups mozzarella cheese

½ a cup of parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

1.     Preheat the oven to 370 F°.  Place all the squash into a roasting pan with salt and pepper. Put in the oven for about 20-25 minutes

2.     While the squash is roasting, heat the butter over medium heat and slowly add the milk. Add the flour, nutmeg, basil and whisk the sauce.  Let it sit over medium low heat till the sauce thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste

3.     When the squash is tender transfer to another bowl and add a teaspoon of nutmeg and mash with a fork until there are only a few whole pieces left

4.     In a baking pan place layer of the white sauce followed by a layer of the lasagna noodles.  Next place a layer of the squash mixture over and add a good amount of cheese. Repeat, starting with the white sauce.

5.     End the layering with a think layer of both cheeses

6.     Place a piece of aluminum foil over the lasagna and put in the oven for about 45 minutes.  After 45 minutes take off the tin foil and let cook for another 15 minutes

7.     Let cool for ten minutes before serving

If there are leftovers feel free to freeze them in an airtight container to defrost later!

Back to school! Back to school, to prove to Dad that I'm not a fool! I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, I hope I don't get in a fight

We had been dreading the start of class because we knew we would have less time to do what’s actually important - cooking! No just kidding everyone, school is very important and we are glad to take on the challenge! But this meant we had to get down to crunch time in the kitchen. (And crunch time for our abdominals was not overlooked either.) So that all in mind, we came up with some quick and easy recipes for those days of school that were not so quick and easy. 

Pesto Pasta with Mixed Mushrooms

Pesto Pasta with Mixed Mushrooms

Serving Size: 4 people

1 container button mushrooms

3 large portabella mushrooms

1 tablespoon sunflower oil

Salt & pepper

Whole-wheat pasta

2 tablespoons canned pesto

Shaved parmesan for topping

1.     Bring a pot of water to a boil and put a generous amount salt (it should taste like the ocean)

2.     While it is coming to a boil heat the sunflower oil in a sauté pan and add the mushrooms.  Let them sauté on medium heat until they have reduced in size by half and are dark brown in color

3.     Add the pasta to the water and wait till the noodles are ready.  Drain and return them to the pan.  Add the pesto and mushrooms and combine.  Season to taste with salt and pepper

4.     When serving top with the parmesan cheese

Roasted Veggie Wrap

Roasted Veggie Wrap

Serving size: 4 people

1 container button mushrooms

4 big carrots

1 onion

1 can chickpeas

Mozzarella cheese

4 tortillas

1.     Preheat the over to 345 F°

2.     Chop the mushrooms into thin one-inch slivers.  Peel and chop the carrots into thin one-inch slivers as well.  Peel the onion then dice the other half into small pieces

3.     In a buttered roasting pan add the vegetables and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until they are tender and translucent

4.     While the vegetables are roasting, drain and rinse the chickpeas.  Put them in a mixing bowl and begin to mash with a fork.  As you begin to mash them season with salt and pepper. Stop mashing after about five minutes; at this point the chickpeas should have a chunk consistency. 

5.     Putting together the wrap: on the tortilla spread on the chickpeas.  On top of that put the mixed veggies and finish it off with the mozzarella cheese.  Wrap up the wrap like a burrito.

Enjoy!

Mushroom Mania

If you have not yet noticed, we are mildly OBSESSED with mushrooms. You may say, ew mushrooms are a fungi. But a wonderfully delicious and healthful fungi they are. And if you don’t enjoy them, like my Daddy for example, you should think about bleu cheese, which is a mold. Both are edible and both are good food choices. that should be included in your diet, albeit their “fungus status”. So back to mushrooms, they include a plethora of nutrients including:
They are a prime exemplification of a food that can easily fancy up any dish. Making  pasta? Add mushrooms. An omelet? Add mushrooms. Making a  wrap? MUSHROOMS. How about a rice medley? Include some mushrooms. They are concrete to your recipes and you should have them in your fridge at any given time. YAY MUSHROOMS @!#$@*!!!!!

Horns

Horns

Serving size: 22 rolls

Courtesy of my Norwegian friend Charlotte

200 g smør = 200 g butter

6 dl melk = 6dl milk

50 g gjær = 50 g yeast

2 teaspoons salt

4 ts sukker = 4 teaspoons sugar

1 kg hvetemel = 1 kg flour

           

1.    Preheat the over to 100 C°.

2.    Melt the butter over the stove on medium heat.  Once the butter has melted slowly add the milk. Take the pot off the heat.

3.     In another bowl mix together the yeast, salt, and sugar.  Pour the mixture slowly into the pot. 

4.     Finally incorporate the flour a little bit at a time until it becomes a doughy consistency.  Let sit for an hour.

5.     After an hour the dough should have almost doubled in size.  On a floured surface roll the dough out.  Cut the dough into triangle shapes and roll it into a croissant shape.  Start with the bigger end and roll it inwards. 

6.     Place on a greased baking sheet and cook for 20 minutes or until they have a nice brown coloring. 

Happy New Year!

Recently, the Jewish people celebrated their new year, Rosh Hashana! In honor of me (Gabi) the only Jew in the flat, we decided to take a cultural route and cook some Israeli food to celebrate the new year. One of the most well known platters in the Mediterrean, specifically Israel, is Falaful- a fried ball of chickpeas and flavors stuck into a pita with israeli salad and a special yogurt sauce called Tsiki, or hummus. This is surprisingly easy to make, and good for the soul, as fried food normally is. But to increase the health factor use whole wheat pitas and fill with lots of salad which is made of chopped cucumbers and tomato, YUM! 

Happy Rosh Hashana(h)!

 In honor of the Jewish New Year we are making an Israeli classic, falafel.

Falafels:

Serving Size: 6 people

I box any type of falafel mix you would like

1 1/2 cups sunflower oil

For the falafels we did cheat a little bit. We had never made falafels before so we started with a basic mix and followed the directions on the back of the box. The mix only required water and time to sit and turn into a dough consistency.

1.     Heat the oil in a medium sized pot on medium high heat for about ten minutes

2.     Once the oil is hot using a spoon scoop out a ball of dough and slowly drop it into the oil, making sure not to let the oil splash and burn your skin.

3.     Let the falafels sit in the oil for about 1 ½ minutes until they are brown on all sides

4.     Once browned, scoop the ball out and let it sit and cool on a separate tray

5.     Repeat until all the dough has been fried

Israeli Salad:

1 cucumber peeled

10 cherry tomatoes

Sunflower oil

Salt & Pepper

1.     Chop up the cucumber into I inch cubes and half the tomatoes. Put both into a large bowl

2.     Drizzle with the sunflower oil and season to taste with fresh cracked pepper and salt

Extras:

            Mixed lettuce

            Tzatziki sauce

            5 whole wheat Pitas halved

When you are ready to eat you can combine all the ingredients in the pita. 

                                    

                                       

Classic Challah Bread

Classic Challah Bread (Following the directions on the food network website)

Makes 1 loaf

Total time: 3 hours

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup warm water (the same temperature as your body temperature)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

3 eggs

4 1/2 cups flour

1 tablespoon salt

Directions:

 1     Combine the yeast, warm water and sugar in a mixing bowl, stir and let sit for 10 minutes.  Stop when it becomes creamy and foamy

2.    After the initial 10 minutes add the melted butter and the 3 eggs. Give it another good stir.

3.    In another bowl mix together the flour and salt.  Slowly add the wet ingredients one cup at a time until it forms a soft dough

4.    Take the dough out and place it on a floured surface and knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic.  This will take about five minutes

5.    Place the dough in a large greased bowl.  Flip over once to get the oil on all sides of dough.  Cover with a towel and put it in a warm, dry place for about 1 hour. After 1 hour it should have doubled in size.

6.    Preheat the oven to 375. Punch the dough down and form it into a loaf

7.    Bake for 1 hour until the bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped

Props to FoodNetwork.com for the recipe!! 

click here for a link to the recipe we used!

Homemade Lentil and Veggie Soup

Homemade Lentil and Veggie Soup:

Serves 6 people

2 onions

1 garlic clove

2 tsps. sunflower oil

1 cup cooked lentils

3 big carrots

3 celery stalks

Asparagus bunch

4 cups vegetable stock

Parsley (for garnishing)

Almond slivers  (for garnishing)

1.     Cut up all the vegetables into bite size pieces and set aside all but the onions and garlic

2.     Heat up the sunflower oil in a large pot and add the garlic and onions. Saute the onions and garlic until caramelized (about 10 minutes).

3.     Add the carrots, asparagus, and celery and sauté for another 20 minutes or until tender.

4.     While the vegetables are cooking, cook the lentils by following the directions on the package.

5.     When the lentils are finished, drain them and combine them with the vegetables.

6.     Add the vegetable stock and let simmer for another 15 minutes.

7.     Serve with parsley and almonds.

testing testing one two three

Welcome to the greatest food blog ever created, these are chefs Caroline Jayne and Gabi Faye.  Were on a mission to tell and inpsire your all about the great food we have been making and eating, thus inspiring you to make a life change in the kitchen. By choosing our blog, you are taking the first step to a better and healthier approach, not to mention a money-saving one! Not only are we health nuts, but we're sale nuts too! Great for those on a tight budget and in tight jeans.  Coming to another country to study abroad, can be an intimidating new situation for many people, as it was for us. But what we realized is that it gave us a chance to try out new and exciting things, such as cooking which can help you make new friends and create new habits. For us it has been a life-changing experience cooking with people from all over the world. It has given us a real chance to expand our eating horizons, while making a plethora of international friends!

Cheers MATE!

**The only reason this is ultra cheesy, is because that's just how we like our food!