Gluten free adventures!

   I always wanted to try gluten free baking... mostly to challenge myself and to try something new. I heard a lot of negative opinions about gluten free baking goods... that the texture is off, that the flavor is bad, or that it's impossible to make at home. The last one is really what caught my attention and I wanted to put my skills to the test and see if I could make a delicious, gluten free desert. My friend's son (who also happens to be my son's best friend) is gluten free, so she became an expert in gluten free cuisine, constantly testing new recipes for breads, muffins, bagels... you name it, she probably tried it... and I have to say all of her stuff is delicious! So what better way to test my gluten free baking skills than inviting them to dinner and feeding them my gluten free lemon-blueberry cake? Here is the recipe:

 
Ingredients:

*  1.5 cups gluten free all purpose baking flour (Bob's RedMill)
*  1 cup sugar
*  1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temp.
*  1 container (6 oz) lemon Greek yogurt
*  2 eggs
*  1 tsp baking powder
*  1/2 tsp salt
*  2 tsp lemon zest
*  1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
*  1 cup fresh blueberries
*  1 tsp corn starch

Glaze:

*  1 cup powdered sugar
*  1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice


Directions:

1. In a bowl combine and whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and lemon zest. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs (one at a time), add yogurt and lemon juice and mix everything for 1-2 minutes.

3. With mixer on slow, add dry ingredients, a little bit at a time, and mix until combined.

4. In a small bowl, combine blueberries and corn starch and mix until coated.

5. Gently mix in blueberries into a batter, transfer into greased loaf pan and bake at 350F for 50-60 minutes. Transfer onto a wire rack and let it cool.

6. Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice, mix until smooth and pour over the cake to glaze it.

   I have to be honest, baking the cake was a little bit tricky... every time I inserted a toothpick in the middle of it, it came out a tiny bit wet, but after 60 minutes of baking I decided to take it out of the oven and let it sit. It turned out great! There was no under-baked dough, the cake was moist (maybe not as moist as a regular flour cake, but not bad at all) and the flavor was really, really delicious. My "gluten-free expert" friend, who doesn't really have a sweet tooth to begin with, loved it... or at least that's what she said and I take it!

Enjoy,
Magda

Fat on Tuesday... I mean Happy Fat Tuesday!

   In Poland, we actually celebrate Fat Thursday (a week before Ash Wednesday), rather than Fat Tuesday and let me tell you... it is a big deal! Everybody eats paczki (jam filled doughnuts) that day, all the bakeries have a mile long line in front of them and every household has a huge pile of paczki on the table! They are probably one of the worst thing you can eat when you are on a diet, but it does not matter on that day... no matter what, you just can't resist! Oh, and try to eat just one... I dare you!
   In the US, we celebrate the Fat Tuesday and it works out pretty good since paczki really need some time to prepare, so weekend is a perfect opportunity for such project. They are not that hard to make, but they do require time and patience. You need to let the dough rest and raise few times and you do not want to rush... but it's all worth it in the end, I promise!

Ingredients:

*  3.5 cups all purpose flour, sifted
*  2 tsp instant yeast
*  1 cup milk, warmed
*  4 tbsp sugar
*  4 egg yolks
*  4 tbsp butter melted and cooled
*  2 tbsp vodka
*  fruit jam (I chose raspberry)

*  vegetable oil fro frying

*  powdered sugar for decoration

Directions:

1. Combine warm milk with 1 tbsp of sugar, 1 tbsp of flour and yeast. Mix together, cover and let stand in a warm place for 30 minutes.

2. In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat eggs with sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Change attachment to a hook (for kneading), add remaining flour, milk/yeast mixture, vodka and cooled butter. Knead until the dough is smooth and not sticking to a bowl (10 minutes). Add a little bit of flour if needed.

4. Transfer the dough into a greased bowl, cover with a cloth and let stand in a warm place (like a turned off oven) for 1 - 1.5 hour.

5. Transfer the dough onto floured counter, make a long roll and divide equally into 12 pieces.

6. Flatten each piece in your hand, add a little bit of jam, pinch the dough around the jam, sealing any cracks and put onto a floured surface seam side down.

7. Cover them with a cloth and let stand in a warm place for 30 minutes.

8. In the Dutch oven heat the oil (around 3 inch deep) until it reaches around 350-375 F and fry doughnuts few at a time (so they don't touch each other), for about 1-2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.

9. Transfer onto a paper towel to drain the remaining oil and sprinkle with powdered sugar (or with a glaze).

   So, they were supposed to be for Fat Tuesday celebration... the problem is, I made them on Saturday... needless to say, there are none left for today! Really, there were none left for Monday either! We shared some with our friends, we "sampled" some, we ate some and ... somehow they were all gone! Well anyways, Happy Fat Tuesday!

Enjoy,
Magda.

New Year's Resolution!

   It's that time of the year again - time for the New Year's Resolutions! This year I decided to ditch the usual "losing weight" crap, I never follow through with it anyways, and I decided to be adventurous and think outside the box. My 2016 resolution is... drum roll please.... once a month I will cook with the ingredient I've never cooked before!!! How about that? It doesn't necessarily have to be something I've never ate before, given my love of food and willingness to try anything, this might be difficult. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of exotic ingredients I haven't tried yet, but they might be difficult to get and I refuse to drive 2 hours to the specialty store to get some live cobra hearts (yes, that's right, I would totally try it)!!! So I decided to go with things I never personally cooked with in my kitchen!
To kickstart the new trend, I bought some... persimmons.

   I don't know how that happened that I've never tried them before, but somehow I always thought they would be mushy and melon-like (I do not like melons)! Well, I was wrong,  they are firm, sweet and delicious... and we are slowly getting addicted to them. I found some interesting recipes for cakes and desserts, but I figured persimmon salad might be the good way to start the new year!

Ingredients:

* 1 lb Brussels sprouts
* 1 large persimmon, sliced and cut into pieces
* 1 pomegranate
* 1/2 cup dried blueberries
* 1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Dressing:

* lemon juice, from 1 lemon
* 2 tbsp honey
* 2 tbsp olive oil
* 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
* pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Using a mandolin, thinly slice Brussels sprouts and transfer into the bowl.

2. Add pomegranate seeds, persimmon, blueberries and pecans.

3. Combine all ingredients of the dressing and mix well until smooth. Add to the salad, combine and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before serving.

   Delicious! Sweet, sour, savory, crunchy and a little bit chewy (blueberries) - all flavors and textures on one plate. We paired it with some citrus baked salmon and it was a hit! So it's official now, my first experiment with new ingredients was a success!

Happy New Year,
Magda

No-butter cake!

   Yes, that's right, not every cake needs to have butter in it (not that there is anything wrong with butter!) and it still can be delicious! I was mostly curious about it and wanted to try something different. Even though the cake is super easy and doesn't require any electric mixers, I did have some help making it from my sous chef. He is almost 20 months old, full of energy and enthusiasm for cooking, and is great with stirring the pot, especially a pot of flour! We tried to follow the recipe, but to be honest I'm not sure how much flour went into the cake itself, because I saw some on the counter, some on the floor and some in my shoes, but the cake turned out awesome so clearly you don't need to be too precise!
Here is the recipe for a blueberry-lemon yogurt cake:

Ingredients:

* 3.5 cups all purpose flour
* 3 tsp baking powder
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 2/3 cup vegetable oil
* 4 large eggs, room temp.
* 2 cups granulated sugar
* 2 cups plain Greek yogurt, room temp. 
* 3 tsp vanilla extract
* juice and zest from two lemons
* 1.5 cups frozen blueberries (do not thaw)

Glaze:

* 1/2 cup powdered sugar
* juice from half a lemon

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.

2. In a separate bowl combine eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, oil, lemon zest and lemon juice. Whisk everything together until smooth.

3. Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix with a spoon. Gently fold in frozen blueberries (leave few for the top) and transfer into the rectangular baking dish lined up with buttered foil.

4. Sprinkle with remaining blueberries and bake at 350F for 50-55 minutes (until toothpick comes our clean).

5. When the cake cools a little, in a small bowl combine powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth and drizzle over the cake.

   Moist, lemony, fruity and flavorful! The glaze is optional, but I really recommend adding it because it makes this cake out-of-this-world delicious! Christopher was so impressed with his own work that he actually learned two new words: "cake" and "CAAAKE" - when I gave him too small of a piece!

Enjoy,
Magda.

Cheese of cake

   Cheesecake is probably one of my favorite desserts. Rich, creamy and indulgent, how can you not like it? But for somebody who loves cheesecake so much, I have a dark secret - I NEVER made one by myself! Can you believe that? I mean, never until now! I always thought that it was tricky, required some supernatural powers and took hours! Well, it does take some time, not the prep or cook time, but rather a "cooling time", but other than that it is super easy! I can not believe I was so scared to make it. As a proof, here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

* 24oz cream cheese (3 bricks), room temp.
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 lemon, juice and zest
* 2 tsp vanilla extract
* 2 eggs, room temp.
* 5-6 tbsp strawberry preserve, recipe can be found here
* 10 graham crackers
* 5 tbsp melted butter

Directions:

1. Break the graham crackers into a food processor and process until they form fine crumbs. Drizzle in melted butter and pulse until the crumbs are evenly moistened.

2. Press the crust into the foil-lined 8x8 pan and bake at 350F for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool while making the filling.

3. Decrease the oven temperature to 325F.

4. In a standing mixer, beat the softened cream cheese, slowly add sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, lemon zest and lemon juice. Beat everything for 2-3 minutes until smooth and fluffy.

4. Pour cheese mix onto the cooled crust, randomly distribute the strawberry preserve on the top and using a knife swirl the preserve to create a "marble pattern".

5. Bake at 325F for 45-50 minutes. Gently remove the cake from the oven (it will still be "jiggly" and wet, but it's OK), let it cool completely and then refrigerate for at least 3 hours before cutting into it.

   Doesn't it look pretty? And it tastes pretty good as well! Perfect balance of sweet with some salty and acidic notes. Lemon juice and zest is really a key here, it just makes it so fresh and vibrant. You could use any kind of fruit preserve, or you could just skip it all together, I'm sure it would be delicious no matter what!

Enjoy,
Magda

Brown or blond?

   That is the question! If it comes to cakes or sweets in general, it's always "blond" for me! Yes, that's right, I do not like brownies, I do not like chocolate cake, I do not like anything chocolate! This is why I was very excited when I found the recipe for these delicious "blondies". I was even more excited about the fact that they are Banana Blondies, because I am so tired of making banana bread every single time I have leftover overripe bananas! And it happens a lot with my two boys who demand that I buy a lot of bananas because they will for sure eat them all! Yeah, right!
   Anyways, the "cake" is really delicious, dense and moist (like a brownie would be), very flavorful and has a nice crunch from the nuts. Quick and easy recipe using the ingredients that can by found in the average pantry.

Ingredients:

* 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
* 1.5 cup packed brown sugar
* 2 eggs
* 2 tsp vanilla extract
* 3 bananas, mashed
* 2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions:

1. In a bowl combine sugar and salt, add melted butter and mix together.

2. Mix in eggs, vanilla, bananas and baking powder. Slowly add flour and mix everything together.

3. Stir in walnuts and transfer into a rectangular baking pan. Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and the inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool before cutting.

   If you don't have walnuts, you could also use pecans, macadamia nuts, or even hazelnuts. You could even skip nuts all together if you wanted, but I think they add a lot and make the cake way better. I also tried it with different dried fruits and decided that walnuts and cranberries was my favorite combination.

Enjoy,
Magda

Guess who's back, back again...

Magda’s back, tell a friend...

   Can you believe that it’s been 16 months (!!!) since my last blog post? Life got really busy in the Morgan family, a little boy named Christopher came and changed everything!

   Yes, that's right... I couldn't resist to show off my beautiful boy(s)! Christopher not only changed the way we see the world or the way love, but he also changed the way we live, sleep or eat! Basically, we don’t sleep and we eat whatever is easier, faster, more convenient and whatever Christopher doesn’t want to eat himself! And I think it’s time to change it (I’m talking about our eating habits). He is big enough (almost 15 months) that he doesn’t need non-stop attention and mommy has some free time to relax in the kitchen and do what she loves – cook! Extra bonus – Christopher gets to taste all different things, develop his palate to hopefully become an adventures eater in the future.

   So to get everybody’s attention back, I’m starting with a delicious fruit crumble bars that are not only perfect with mommy’s and daddy’s coffee, but are also healthy enough for the little munchkins to eat! Not too much sugar and lots of fruit! Here is the recipe:

Crust:

* 1.5 cups all-purpose flour

* 1.5 cups whole wheat flour

* 2/3 cup granulated sugar

* 0.5 cup slivered almonds

* 1 tsp baking powder

* 2.5 sticks of cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

* 2 large egg yolks

* 2-3 tbsp ice-cold water
* pinch of salt

Berry Filling:

* 2 cups frozen blueberries

* 2 cups frozen raspberries

* 4 tbsp lemon juice

* 3 tbsp all-purpose flour

* 0.5 cup granulated sugar

* 1 tsp cinnamon

* 2 tbsp vanilla extract

Directions:

   1. Crust: whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the cold butter,  slowly mix in egg yolks and cold water. The dough should be really crumbly. 

   2.  Take half of the crumble and press into the prepared pan (13x9). 

   3. Filling: stir together fruit (no need to defrost), lemon juice, flour, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla extract until combined. 

   4. Evenly distribute the fruit on the top of the crust. 

   5. Add almonds to the remaining crust and sprinkle over the fruit. 

   6.  Bake at 375F for 40-50 minutes until golden brown

   I am not a fan of very sweet desserts, so I really cut down on sugar in this recipe, but if you like your desserts to be coma-inducing sweet, feel free to add more.

I’m glad to be back and I can’t wait to post recipes regularly again.

See you soon,

Magda

Lets start from the end...

   ... of the dinner, that is! It's been a while since we had our friends over for dinner... and even though I would have lunch with Ms. Laurie here and there, I missed our double date dinners. Sometimes we do something special and sometimes we do something casual... like taco night or like yesterday - home made pizza night. But, since I told you we will start from end of the dinner... there will be no pizza recipes today... I'm going straight to the dessert! Mixed fruit cobbler... I was really craving something homey and comforting and what better than warm cobbler with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream? Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

Filling:

*  4 cups frozen fruit (I used mix of peaches, strawberries and raspberries)
*  3/4 cup sugar
*  3 tbsp corn starch
*  pinch of cinnamon

Topping:

*  1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
*  1/2 cup fine corn meal
*  3 tbsp sugar
*  1/2 tsp cinnamon
*  1 tsp baking powder
*  1/2 tsp salt
*  1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubbed
*  1 cup cold half & half (1-2 extra tbsp might be needed)
*  1/2 cup sliced almonds
*  1-2 tbsp sugar for the top

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients of the filling (do not defrost the fruit). Transfer into greased baking dish.
2. In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, corn meal, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and butter cubes. Pulse few times until mixture resembles crumbs.
3. Transfer into a bowl, add almonds and 1 cup of half & halt. Mix with the wooden spoon until combined and wet. If it's not wet enough add some extra half & half. It should stick to your fingers.
4. Using your hands, drop the dough by pieces on the top of fruit and sprinkle the top with some sugar. Bake at 375F for 45-50 minutes until top is golden brown.Wait for it to cool down a little, but serve warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.

   Do you really need an explanation for this one? Doesn't it look delicious? Sweet, juicy and fruity with a delicious crunchy topping! The perfect dessert for a casual dinner with great friends.

Enjoy,
Magda

More houswifing.

   You probably think what's up with all this canning and preserving, but I'm telling you, there is nothing better than a home made fruit jam. I know that some people might be scared and intimidated by canning and think that it takes long time and cost a lot of money. It couldn't be further from the truth. We always go to the farm to pick our own fruit, which is way cheaper and way better than a store bought, and the canning itself takes no more then an hour (this blueberry jam took me 15 minutes from the beginning to the end - seriously!!!). And just wait when you taste it... it's amazing. You can actually taste the fruit, it's not too sweet, it's tangy and chunky. Just a perfect jam. From 3 pounds of blueberries I got 7 jars of jam... and I "tasted" some on the way.

Ingredients:

*  3 lbs fresh blueberries
*  1 cup sugar
*  1 tbsp lemon juice
*  2 tbsp pectin

Directions:

1. Wash and drain blueberries, transfer them into a big pot and crush them gently with a potato masher. I don't crush all of them, I like chunks of fruit in my jam.
2. Bring blueberries to boil, add sugar and lemon juice and cook on high heat for 5 minutes (constantly stirring). Add pectin and boil for 1 minute.
3. In the meantime, boil small jars and lids for about 4-5 minutes.
4. Transfer hot jam into a hot jars, wipe the edges of the jar, cover with hot lid and close tightly. Repeat with remaining jars and fruit.
5. Transfer jars into a boiling water (make sure that the water doesn't touch the lids) and boil for 5 minutes. Transfer onto a kitchen towel until lids "pop" and jam cools down. Store in room temperature, on your pantry shelf.

   I have to warn you that it is not too sweet. I just hate over-sweetened jams, where you can't really taste any fruit and it's like eating a bowl of sugar. So if you like your jam a little bit sweeter, you can add some extra  sugar... just taste it as you are making it. I think this one is just perfect!

Enjoy,
Magda.

Jagodzianki z kruszonka.

   Yes, the title is in Polish. Not because I couldn't come up with an English version of it, but because it just can't be any other way. Jagodzianki are the most delicious summer staples of Poland. Fluffy, sweet, yeast based buns stuffed with blueberries and covered with a crumbly topping. I'm sure that all my Polish friends will agree with me that there couldn't be any other title than the one I wrote. You can find them in most Polish bakeries all year around, but there is absolutely nothing better that jagodzianki made by your grandma in the middle of the blueberry season. So since we went to pick our own blueberries few days ago, I decided to make my grandmas famous jagodzianki z kruszonka! The recipe makes 16.

Ingredients:

Dough:
*  4 cups all-purpose flour
*  3/4 cup sugar
*  pinch of salt
*  1 egg
*  1 glass of warm milk
*  2 tbsp dry yeast
*  4 tbsp melted butter

Filling:
*  3 cups fresh blueberries
*  1/2 cup sugar

Topping:
*  4 tbsp cold butter
*  4 tbsp sugar
*  8 tbsp flour
*  1 egg, beaten

Directions:

1. Mix warm milk with yeast and 1 tbsp of sugar, stir together and let it stand for 5-6 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, sift flour together with  sugar, salt. Add egg, melted butter, and milk and mix together to form a dough. Kneed the dough until smooth, but still a little bit sticky.
3. Transfer the dough into a greased bowl,cover with a kitchen towel, and let it in a warm place until it doubles in size (about 1 hour).
4. Remove the dough from the bowl and divide into 16 equal pieces.
5. To make filling: combine blueberries with sugar and mix until coated.
6. Gently roll each portion of the dough, place a tablespoon of the filling in the middle of the dough, and stick the sides together (make sure you seal it completely). Place them on a cookies sheet (seam down), cover with a kitchen towel and let them double in size (about 45 minutes).
7. To make topping: combine butter, flour, and sugar in a food processor. Pulse until crumbs form.
8. Brush the top of the buns with beaten egg, sprinkle with crumbly topping and bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

   Oh Jagodzianki, you are the best thing in the world! Soft, aromatic, filled with delicious fresh blueberries up to the edges... heaven! I urge everybody to make them... this will be the best thing you've ever eaten, trust me. Glass of milk, jagodzianka in your hand (or two)... and you will be the happiest person in the world.

Enjoy,
Magda

New healthy habit.

    I know, I already told you that we are drinking fresh vegetables/fruit juices for breakfast, but I love it so much that I can't just stop with one blog post about it. It's so much fun to try new flavor combinations, but I have to admit - some are better than others. Obviously fruit based juices are much sweeter and tastier than the veggie ones, but we like them all... well, most of them. The one I'm posting today is one of my favorites - it looks good, it smells good, and it's delicious. Check it out:

Ingredients:

*  4-5 large carrots
*  1/3 large pineapple
*  10 strawberries
*  2 inches fresh ginger, pealed

Directions:

1. Juice everything together. The End.

   That's all there is to it... it's that easy... and it takes 5 minutes every morning. I love it so much, I could drink a bucket of it and still want more... it's my favorite breakfast ever! It's so worth it to invest in a juicer and make your own juices. It's much better, cheaper, and more convenient than buying it from a juice bar.

Enjoy,
Magda.

Behind the bars!

   So I promised that I would bring something sweet to work for my coworkers and I was planning on making good old oatmeal cookies until I saw this recipe on TV. Giada was making oatmeal bars with apricot jam and some nuts and I thought that it just sounded delicious. And it's super easy to make as well. They are not your typical bars, they came out much softer and more resembling a cake, but that is not a bad thing at all!

Ingredients:

*  1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
*  1 cup packed light brown sugar
*  1 tsp cinnamon
*  1 tsp baking soda
*  3/4 tsp fine salt
*  1 3/4 old fashion oats
*  1 cup (4oz) pecans, chopped
*  3 tbsp sesame seeds
*  1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
*  2 eggs
*  1 tsp vanilla extract
*  1 13oz jar apricot preserves

Directions:

1. In a bowl whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
2. Stir in oats, pecans, and sesame seeds. Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
3. Add melted butter, mix everything together until the dough forms.
4. Line up the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Using your fingers spread and pack half of the dough in the bottom of a baking dish, top with apricot preserves, and cover with remaining oat dough.
5. Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.
6. Let them cool completely before cutting to avoid crumbling.

   Unfortunately I won't be able to tell you how they taste, because I don't eat sweets during lent, but looking at how quickly they disappeared, I assume they were pretty good. I know that they smelled awesome. Everybody who tasted them really liked them and came back for more... so I think I did good.

Enjoy,
Magda

It's almost here!

   Thanksgiving!!! I was waiting for the entire year! I know it sounds silly from somebody who started celebrating this American holiday only a few years ago, but thanks to my new family I felt in love with this day at first sight (and first taste)! My mother-in-law is an excellent cook and Thanksgiving is the perfect day to showcase her talent! Every single thing she makes is rich, delicious, comforting, and very satisfying! Oh, I can't wait for tomorrow!!! To make the "waiting" less painful I usually make the cranberry sauce a few days earlier and we eat it with everything we can, just to "prep" ourselves for the Thanksgiving feast. The recipe couldn't be easier:

Ingredients:

*  2 bags fresh cranberries (12oz each)
*  4 oranges
*  4-6 tbsp white sugar

Directions:

1. Place washed cranberries in a pot. Add a little bit of water, just enough to cover the bottom of a pot (about half an inch).
2. Cut skin off the oranges and using a small knife cut out the segments of citrus flesh.
3. Add 4 tbsp of sugar, bring to boil and cook for 5-6 minutes untill all the berries open up.
4. Depending on how sweet you like your cranberry sauce to be add more sugar, and cook for 1-2 minutes.
5. Turn off the stove and let it cool. It will thicken as it cools and it's just perfect every time!

   Sweet and tangy! Perfect with turkey or pork, or just toast! You can make it any time of the year, but it will never taste as good as at the end of November!

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!
Magda.

Roll, roll, roll your spring roll!

   Summer is coming to an end (I know, where did it go???) so everybody should take advantage of all the fruit we have around. It's ripe, sweet, fragrant, delicious and it just tastes the best this time of the year. If you don't consider a "bare" fruit as a dessert and you don't want to load up on a heavy cake, here is an idea for you. Try to roll it in rice paper, dip it in some strawberry sauce and here you go... fresh, light, fruity dessert is ready in no time! Here is the recipe:

Rolls:
*  10 rice paper rounds
*  2 cups rice noodles
*  1 tbsp sugar
*  1 lemon
*  5 strawberries (sliced)
*  mango (cut into strips)
*  1/2 apple (cut into strips)
*  fresh mint

Dipping sauce:
*  4 tbsp strawberry preserves
*  2 tbsp lemon juice
*  2 tbsp water

1. In a pot, boil water with sugar, add rice noodles and cook for about 5 minutes. Drain the noodles, cool down and sprinkle with lemon juice.
2. Cut all the fruit, chop mint and arrange everything as an assembly line.

3. Soak rice paper rounds in very warm water for 5-10 seconds and transfer on a damp kitchen towel.
4. Put a little bit of rice noodles, 2 pieces of mango, apple, strawberry and sprinkle with fresh mint.
5. Fold in both sides and roll up tightly.
6. For a dipping sauce, mix 2 tbsp of strawberry preserves with 2 tbsp of lemon juice and 1-2 tbsp of water.

   Super fresh, super delicious and super healthy! Such a great summery dessert full of fresh and sweet fruit. You can use any ingredient you want, mix and match and I bet you it's going to be delicious. I think mint is my favorite part of this roll, it's so flavorful and fresh and it wouldn't be the same with out it.

Enjoy.
Magda

Not only dessert!

   So I am continuing with a "Peach Week" theme but no, it's not going to be another dessert! This time I made a savory, delicious pizza with peaches, Prosciutto and mozzarella cheese. Pizza is one of those super versatile dishes that can be made with any ingredient available and everybody can create their own (that would make about 7.031 billion different versions of pizza!). Pizza dough is almost like a clean board that let you discover your inner artist and create a real masterpiece. After making this one, I think it's not the last one from me, I just got inspired to create even more pizzas with all sorts of ingredients. Here is this one:

*  thin crust pizza dough
*  fresh mozzarella cheese
*  1 large onion (thinly sliced)
*  1 large peach (peeled and thinly sliced)
*  6 slices Prosciutto
*  Parmesan cheese block
*  1/2 cup chopped cilantro
*  1 tbsp olive oil
*  1 tbsp butter

1. Melt butter and saute thinly sliced onions until browned and caramelized.
2. Roll the pizza dough, brush the top with olive oil and cover with caramelized onions.
3. On the top of onions layer slices of mozzarella cheese, peaches and Prosciutto.

4. Bake at 400F for 15 minutes.
5. After taking it out of the oven, sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro and shaved Parmesan cheese.

   Where do I start? Salty Prosciutto and Parmesan, sweet peaches, fresh cilantro and melted gooey mozzarella... do I need to go on? Such a great pizza.

Enjoy.
Magda.

Yet, another peach.

   As I promised, here is another peach recipe. This time I made probably the simplest and fastest home made dessert ever. It takes maybe 10 minutes all together, it's delicious and super light (it's almost 80% fruit!). It's one of those dishes that you want to make when you are craving some sophisticated and comforting dessert, but you don't want to spend the whole evening in the kitchen. All you do is broil some peaches, cover them with ice cream and blueberry sauce and it's ready to enjoy in minutes. Here is the recipe (4 servings):

*  4 peaches
*  1 cups fresh blueberries
*  1 tbsp white sugar
*  1 tbsp brown sugar
*  cinnamon
*  2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
*  vanilla ice cream

1. Halve the peaches, remove the pit and layer on a baking sheet cut side up. Sprinkle with a little bit of brown sugar and cinnamon and and bake at 400F for 5 minutes. Then turn on the broil on high and broil the peaches for about 3-4 minutes to caramelize the sugar on the top.
2. In the meantime, combine blueberries, mint and white sugar in a pot. Using a fork break down the berries a little bit and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Set aside and let it cool.
3. To serve the dessert, top two halves of broiled peaches with vanilla ice cream, pour some blueberry sauce on the top and voila, it's ready.

   The peaches are warm, soft, sweet and cinnamony. Ice cream melts on top of the fruit and when you mix it with blueberry sauce, it's like a piece of heaven in your mouth. When I was "designing" this dish I had some idea how it could taste, but I have to be honest that it turned out to be way better than I thought and nothing like I expected! Super delicious!

Enjoy.
Magda

Straight from the orchard!

   The peach season is in its peak and what's better way to take advantage of it than pick your own peaches straight from the tree? Last weekend we went with our friends to Carter Mountain Orchard in Charlottesville, Va (highly recommended) where you can not only pick your own fruit, but also go for a hike, admire beautiful views, have peach ice cream and the most important, taste and buy some delicious wine from their vineyard! Despite the scorching weather, we had lots of fun, burned some calories hiking (that we immediately replenished with peaches and ice cream) and we went home with trunks (and stomachs) full of peaches... and wine! So the next three posts will feature peaches as a main ingredient. Are you excited? Lets start with one of the most popular peach desserts - a peach/almond crisp. Here is the recipe that makes 6 individual crisps:

Fruit filling:
*  5 medium peaches (peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
*  1/3 cup white sugar
*  2 tbsp corn starch
*  2 tbsp almond extract

Crisp:
*  1 cup all-purpose flour
*  1/2 cup oats
*  1/3 cup white sugar
*  1/3 cup brown sugar
*  1/2 tsp cinnamon
*  1 dash nutmeg
*  1/4 tsp salt
*  1 1/2 stick of cold butter (cut into pieces)
*  3/4 cup slivered almonnds

*  vanilla ice cream 

1. In a bowl combine peaches with sugar, corn starch and almond extract. Mix everything together and put into 6 medium size ramekins.
2. In a food processor, combine flour, white and brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and butter. Pulse until everything resembles a coarse meal. Transfer into a separate bowl, add oats and almonds and using a spoon mix everything together (to maintain a texture of nuts).
3. Cover generously the peaches in each ramekin and bake at 350F for 45 minutes. It looks like a lot of toppings on the peaches, but don't worry, it will all melt down and bake off decreasing significantly in size!
4. Serve it slightly warm, with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on the top.

   Such a great and summery dessert! I actually make it very often using all sorts of different fruit (try it also with cherries) always trying to use a seasonal ingredients for extra deliciousness. The nuts and oats make it very rich so it's the perfect dessert to share with someone... or just enjoy it by yourself!

Good luck.
Magda.

Jiggle, jiggle, jiggle... yeah!!!

   Summer is definitely here! It's so hot outside and all you want to do is relax in a cool place with either a cold cocktail or a bowl of ice cream in your hand! Well, that can be dangerous... too many cocktails can give you a headache, and too many ice cream bowls can give you wide hips! Both are not good, especially during the summer. But don't worry I got you covered. Skip the ice cream (easier said than done!) and substitute them with delicious, fruity, and cold jello. If you think that's jello is not exciting and not worthy of your attention, wait until you see how pretty it can be if you are willing to give it some time. It's not much work and most of it's just waiting for each layer to set, but you end up with super cute and super healthy (70 calories each!!!) desserts. It doesn't get any better than that! Here is what you do to get four desserts:

*  3 sugar-free jellos (red, yellow, and green)
*  1 cup blueberries
*  1/2 sliced mango
*  lime zest

1. Prepare first jello according to the box instructions. Divide into four and pour into glasses. Add 1/4 cup of blueberries to each of them and refrigerate for about 1-2 hours until the jello sets.
2. Prepare the second jello, cool a little and pour onto the previous, set layer. Add slices of mango and refrigerate for another 1-2 hours.
3. Prepare the third jello, cool down, pour over previous two layers, add some lime zest, refrigerate until it sets, and it's ready to enjoy.

   You can use any flavor/color/fruit you want to, I just happened to have blueberries and mango on hand. Try to avoid kiwi and pineapple, because their enzymes interfere with the jello and it won't set properly. If you want something that tastes great and is not a diet buster this is your thing. It's such a guilt-free and calorie-free desert that all you can say after eating it is: "...look at this body... I'm sexy and I know it!"

Enjoy.
Magda.

It's strawberry season!!

   Hi, my name is Magda and I'm a strawberry addict! It's not a joke, I'm not trying to be cute or funny, I just have a serious problem with strawberries (and watermelon, but that's a different story). Normally I can control it by buying just one small box of them in the store... but when May comes and the berry farms have their "pick your own strawberries and eat as much as you can" deal, I'm in big trouble! What ends up happening is that Justin is picking the strawberries that we take home and I'm just going through the field like a giant strawberry vacuum cleaner inhaling all the berries. You would think that an "adult" would recognize when he/she is full and can't eat anymore and stop, but not me, I eat strawberries until I can't no longer walk, think, or keep my pants buttoned! Strawberries are my kryptonite. Last weekend was no different, we went to the berry farm, picked few tons of strawberries (ate even more) and brought them home to make strawberry preserves!

   There is absolutely nothing better than home made jam, you won't find it anywhere! Here is the recipe:

*  5-6 lb strawberries
*  5-6 cups sugar (depends how sweet you like it)
*  lemon juice (from one lemon)
*  8 tbsp pectin (depends on the manufacturer)

   In a large pot, mix quartered strawberries with sugar and let them stand for about 2 hours (to let the juices come out). Put the pot on medium heat and cook strawberries slowly for about 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently. Add lemon juice and pectin and cook for exactly one more minute (or whatever the pectin manufacturer recommends). Sterilize jars and lids in boiling water, pour the hot preserves into the jars and close the lids. Transfer filled jars into boiling water (do not cover completely with water), boil them for 5 minutes, take them out of the pot and let them stand for an hour so the lids can pop and seal. All is left to do is enjoy your labor. From 6 pounds of fruit I got 14 jars of preserves!

   Of course we "had to" open one jar to make sure it was good and let me tell you.... it's not "good", it's heavenly!!! So flavorful, sweet and tangy, with big chunks of fruit! No matter how much you pay for the store bought preserves, you will never get the same taste as home made!

Enjoy.
Magda.

Fruit crostata with a twist.

   I think you are going to see more and more recipes inspired by Giada De Laurentiis. I am absolutely in love with her show and her dishes. It took me a while to get to like her, but once I did I couldn't stop watching the "Giada at home" show. She always have great ideas for interesting twists on traditional recipes and she also comes up with new and unexpected dishes. To make things "my own" I give it my own spin and the combination of Giada's and my ideas creates an amazing dish (how modest am I?). This time I made an apple/pear crostata with walnuts and Gorgonzola cheese. Here is the recipe:

Crust:

*  1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
*  1/2 tsp salt
*  2-3 tbsp sugar
*  3 tbsp unsalted butter (cut into small pieces)
*  1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
*  lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
*  2-3 tbsp ice water

Filling:

*  2-3 tbsp butter
*  2 apples (peeled and cut into thin slices)
*  2 pears (peeled and cut into small slices)
*  1/4 cup sugar
*  1 tsp cinnamon
*  lemon juice (1 lemon)
*  lemon zest
*  1/2 cup chopped walnuts
* 1/3 cup Gorgonzola cheese
*  1 egg (beaten)

    For the crust: In a food processor combine the flour, salt, and sugar. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is finely chopped and the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the cheese, lemon juice, and the ice water and run the machine just until the mixture is moist and crumbly, but does not form a ball. Do not over mix. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

   For the filling: Saute apples and pears with butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Cook until the fruit is softened, but not mushy. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, walnuts, and cheese. Roll the dough out into an 11-inch circle, about 1/4-inch thick, put onto the parchment paper, and spoon the fruit filling into the center of the dough. Spread the filling evenly, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold the dough border over the filling to form an 8-inch round. Pleat the edge of the pastry and pinch to seal any cracks in the dough. Using a pastry brush, brush the crust with the beaten egg. Bake at 400F for 25-30 min until the crust is golden.

   It looks very "homey" and it tastes even better. The filling is super flavorful, sweet, tangy, crunchy, and every now and then you get a surprising and delicious bite of Gorgonzola cheese. The recipe is definitely a keeper.

Good luck.
Magda