Cake pops!

   We all have this one food that if we could, we would eat it all the time. For some it could be pizza, or doughnuts, or bagels, but for my son it's cake pops, hands down! He knows where all the nearby Starbucks are located and whenever we drive by one, he goes: let's go for cake pops (no matter what time of day, or night, it is)! It's to the point that he got a Starbucks gift card for Christmas from his friend, just so he can get cake pops whenever he wants to (or whenever we are willing to take him to get one)... the kid is four years old and already owns a gift card to Starbucks... the world we live in!
   So it was just a matter of time before we made our own cake pops at home... and I will be honest, they were way better than the store bought ones! We were pretty happy with the outcome!

Ingredients:

*  cake mix (I used Lemon Supreme Cake Mix, Duncan Hines)
*  3 large eggs
*  1/3 cup vegetable oil
*  8 oz cream cheese, room temp.
*  1/2 cup powdered sugar
*  2 tbsp lemon juice
*  chocolate candy melts, different colors
*  sprinkles
*  cake pop sticks

Directions:

1. Bake a cake following directions on the box, let it cool.

2. While the cake is cooling, prepare the frosting: combine cream cheese, powdered sugar and lemon juice and mix until smooth and fluffy.

3. Transfer the cake into a large bowl and crumble it until it resembles fine crumbs.

4. Add 3/4 of the frosting and using your hangs mix it with the cake crumbs until it gets moist and can form a ball without falling apart. Add some more frosting if needed.

5. Use a medium ice cream scoop to scoop uniform balls of cake mixture. Roll the cake in your hands to create tight balls, place them onto a plate.

6. Melt 2-3 ounces of candy melts in a microwave, dip the cake pop sticks into the melted chocolate and insert into the cake balls about half-way. Freeze for 15-20 minutes.

7. Melt remaining candy melts in a tall bowl. Remove cake pops from the freezer and carefully dip them into melted chocolate until completely covered. Remove excess chocolate by swirling or gently tapping them.

8. Sprinkle the cake pops with sprinkles immediately (it will harden fast), stick them into a styrofoam block and place them in the fridge until chocolate hardens.

   Don't use the entire frosting at once. Depending on how moist your cake came out, you might need less or more of it, so I would add a little bit of frosting at the time and see how the mixture feels like. You don't want it to be too dry, but you also don't want to add too much frosting and create a mush. You also don't need colorful candy melts, milk or white chocolate will do just fine and as for the decorations, you can get as creative as you want!

Enjoy,
Magda

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

Improvised muffins.

   Funny story behind those muffins... well actually maybe not that funny, but still worth mentioning. Some time ago, I saw a quick cooking viral video (I am so addicted to watching those!) where they made flour-less, few-ingredients-only banana muffins and when I saw couple of my bananas turning ugly brown, I knew this would be a perfect solution. I searched for this video for hours on all the websites I could think of and couldn't find it, so I decided to improvise and make my own version. I knew I needed bananas, an egg and baking powder/soda... and the rest just happened to be around, so I threw it in as well. Since Christopher was helping me to bake... they also have chocolate chips in them (whatever was left after "sampling") ... but you can totally skip them (or substitute with dried cranberries).

Ingredients:

*  1 cup old-fashioned oats
*  2 tbsp flax seeds
*  2 ripe bananas
*  1 egg
*  2 tbsp honey
*  1 tbsp vanilla extract
*  1 tsp baking powder
*  1/2 tsp baking soda
*  1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a food processor blend oats and flax seeds until they resemble coarse flour.

2. Mash bananas with a fork or potato masher until smooth, add all remaining ingredients (reserve 1 tbsp chocolate chips for decoration), mix until combined.

3. Using a small ice cream scoop, fill the mini muffin pan up to 3/4 full, sprinkle with few chocolate chips on top and bake at 350 F for 20 minutes.

   They turned out awesome! Breakfast, snack, dessert... you can have them any time of the day. And they are guilt free too... low in sugar, high in fiber, tiny in size... and to balance all the healthy stuff, there is also chocolate - the perfect combination.

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.

Happy Easter!

   Happy Easter Everybody!

   Today will be a short post and a short recipe. Short post - because I want to go back to enjoying the Easter with my family as soon as possible and short recipe - because I already cooked bunch of delicious, traditional Polish Easter dishes, so I decided to use a shortcut for the dessert and made some carrot cupcakes using a store-bought cake mix! Yes that's right, you don't always have to harvest your own grain to make your own flour to make a cake from scratch... these cupcakes are still home made and delicious, just a little "easier" and quicker to make!

Ingredients:

* Decadent Carrot Cake Mix, Duncan Hines
* 3 eggs
* 1/3 cup vegetable oil

* 2 boxes (8oz each) cream cheese, room temp.
* 3/4 cup powder sugar
* 2 tbsp lime juice
* food coloring
* egg-shaped M&M's 

Directions:

1. Prepare cake mix and bake cupcakes according to the instructions on the box . Let them cool completely.

2. In a mixer, combine cream cheese and sugar and beat for 4-5 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Add lime juice and beat for 1 extra minute.

3. Separate into two bowls and few drops of different food coloring to each bowl and mix until combined.

4. Frost the cupcakes and decorate with egg-shaped candy.

   Christopher had so much fun making and decorating the cupcakes... or I should say he had fun eating the candy and going crazy on the sugar rush 15 minutes later!!! Justin and I decided to join him, so we ate a couple and then we all ran around the house singing "Let it go... let it go...".

Happy Easter,
Magda

Our Baby is two!

   I can't believe it, but it's true, Christopher just turned two (I swear, this rhyme was not intentional)! He is super funny, has strong opinions and lots to say, he loves to sing ("Let it go, let it go...") and loves to dance. He is really into cooking and baking, he always wants to help in the kitchen, he knows how to grate veggies, he can operate the KitchenAid mixer (supervised!) and he can "measure" dry ingredients (that does NOT mean that all the ingredients are getting into the bowl!)... basically what I am trying to say is that he is one awesome kid! So for his birthday we both made a hazelnut birthday cake with a Nutella frosting and chocolate glaze! He might only be two years old, but he already made his own birthday cake... and then ate a huge piece of it, but it's a different story.
Here is the recipe:

Cake Ingredients:

* 7 oz hazelnuts, grated
* 1/3 cup finely chopped hazelnuts
* 2 sticks of butter, room temp.
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
* 5 eggs
* 5 tbsp milk
* 2 tsp baking powder
* 1 tbsp vanilla extract
* pinch of salt
* 1 tbsp cocoa powder
* 1 tsp cinnamon

Frosting:

* 2 sticks of butter, room temp.
* 7 oz mascarpone cheese, room temp. 
* 1/3 cup powdered sugar
* 1 cup Nutella

Chocolate glaze:

* 10 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
* 1/3 cup butter
* 1 tbsp light corn syrup

Directions:

1. Using a mixer beat together butter and sugar until smooth, about 5 minutes.

2. Slowly add eggs, vanilla extract and milk and mix for additional 2-3 minutes.

3. In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients (including nuts) and slowly add to the batter. Beat together for 2-3 minutes until combined.

4. Pour batter into two 9-inch, round, greased pans and bake at 350F for 30-35 min, until toothpick comes out dry. Transfer onto drying rack and let them cool completely (preferably overnight).

5. To make the frosting, combine butter, mascarpone and sugar and beat in the mixer for 5 minutes. Add Nutella and mix for additional 1 or 2 minutes until smooth.

6. Spread frosting between the cake layers, on the top and on the edges.

7. To make the glaze, combine chocolate chips and butter in glass bowl and microwave in 30 seconds intervals stirring after each time until melted completely, smooth and runny. Add corn syrup and pour over the cake immediately allowing the glaze to run down the sides to completely cover the cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the glaze to set.

The cake was a hit! The birthday boy enjoyed a huge piece (so as his shirt and table and floor) and demanded another piece the second he woke up the next day (luckily we have enough to last us for ever).

   One very important piece of advice: do not forget about the cake while it's in the oven! Yes, that happened! We were playing with Christopher's train and the cake might have baked for few minutes more that it should... but it all turned out awesome and moist and delicious!

Happy Birthday My Little Man!
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

Pumpkin season.

   Just when I was about to write that I love fall and all fall-signature dishes... it started to snow! I guess it is December already so I shouldn't be so surprised, but I am not ready for winter yet! So I will pretend that I didn't see any snow flakes outside and I will blog about pumpkin season... and my pumpkin bread! Every single year during the fall I make lots and lots of pumpkin dishes, either soups, or sauces or cupcakes... or breads! This one is really quick and easy, you can make it in no time and enjoy it for a while ... or share it with a friend, because it makes 2 loafs.

Ingredients:

*  1 15oz can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix!)
*  3 cups all-purpose flour
*  4 eggs
*  2/3 cup vegetable oil
*  1 2/3 cup white sugar
*  2 tsp vanilla extract
*  2 tsp baking soda
*  1/2 tsp baking powder
*  1/2 tsp salt
*  1 tsp cinnamon
*  1/2 tsp ground ginger
*  pinch of nutmeg
*  1/2 cup chopped pecans
*  1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin puree, eggs, sugar, vanilla extra and oil. Mix everything together.
2. Add all remaining ingredients and mix until well combined.
3. Pour into two greased loaf pans (8x4 inches) and bake at 350F for 60-70 minutes, until the tooth pick comes out clean.
4. Remove loaf from the pan, place on the wire rack and let them cool for minimum of 30 minutes before cutting.

   Works each time, I promise! Perfect for breakfast, dessert, or for coffee with a friend!

Enjoy,
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

Bun in the oven!

   I am back... and yes, I have a bun in the oven... literally and metaphorically! We are expecting a little bundle of joy in February of next year and we couldn't be happier and more excited!
I am sorry I didn't post anything in a while, but recently I wasn't really that hungry and if I was... I usually craved Polish food, which I already posted on my blog! This baby is already like his/her momma... loves Polish dishes... mostly soups (surprise, surprise) cabbage, potatoes, pickles and so on! But now, slowly my appetite is returning and I promise I will keep posting regularly... at least until February, I can't promise anything after that!
To celebrate my "bun in the oven" I made an oven full of buns! Polish yeast buns with cheese that is! You know how can I tell that my appetite is returning? I already had three of them... one for me, one for the baby...and one because they are so darn good! Recipe makes 16:

Ingrediets:

Dough:

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

Topping:

*  12oz ricotta cheese
*  1/2 cup sugar
*  1 lemon
*  1 tsp vanilla extract
*  1 tbsp corn starch

Extras:

*  1 egg
*  1/2 cup powdered sugar


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. Form balls and place them on a baking sheet, cover with kitchen towel and let them raise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes.
5. In the meantime prepare the topping: combine ricotta cheese with sugar, vanilla extract, corn starch, zest from one lemon and juice from half a lemon. Mix to combine and set aside
6. Using a bottom of a glass flatten each ball, creating a big dent in the middle. Spoon the cheese mixture, filling the dent completely. Brush the dough around the cheese with bitten egg (extras) and bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Place on cooling rack
7. Combine powdered sugar with juice from half a lemon (leftover from cheese mixture), mix to create a silky and runny frosting and lightly drizzle all the buns with it.

   So good! The drizzle on the top is optional but trust me, it's worth the extra step. It makes everything a little tangy and cuts through the sweetness. A cup of coffee (decaf for me) or a glass of milk... the perfect breakfast, desert, or snack!

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

Summer flavors!

   Summer is almost here, that means it's time for delicious fruit cakes and desserts! It was my boss's birthday a few days ago and since he has a sweet tooth, I knew he would appreciate a cake as a gift. He is very health conscious and always trying to eat right, so I decided to make a fruit cake. Not that it has fewer calories than any other dessert, but at least he could have his serving of fruit with it! It's a super easy cake which requires almost no skill and no work... highly recommended. 

Ingredients:

*  1 stick of butter, room temperature
*  1 cup sugar
*  2 cups all-purpose flour
*  2 eggs
*  1 cup buttermilk
*  1 tsp vanilla extract
*  2 tbsp lemon juice
*  2 tsp baking powder
*  pinch of salt
*  1 cup berries (I used blueberries)

Directions:

1. Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy.
2. Add eggs (one at a time) and beat some more.
3. Add buttermilk, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and pinch of salt. Mix everything with the spoon - it will look weird but don't worry.
4. Add flour and baking powder, mix everything together until it forms a smooth and dense batter.
5. Transfer into greased square baking pan, top with blueberries (push them gently into the batter) and bake at 350F for 50-55 minutes until golden brown.

   Not too dense and not too dry, the buttermilk keeps it moist and a little bit tangy. You can use any berry you like, raspberries, strawberries... anything. Perfect for an afternoon break with a cup of tea or coffee!

Enjoy,
Magda

Cheers!

   So here it is, as I promised... our sweet, girly, fruity drink that is perfect for ladies night. I just thought it would be nice to have a mixed drink rather than a wine... we always do wine, so it was high time to change it up a little bit. Just think about pineapple, rum and limes put together to create a dense and delicious Hawaii-inspired cocktail. Sounds good, doesn't it? As always, you can adjust the amount of ingredients... you can make it as strong, as sweet, and as limey as you like, but here is the general recipe:

Ingredients:

*  1 fresh pineapple, cored and cubed
*  3-4 cups Ginger Ale
*  3 limes
*  3 cups of rum
*  2 cups water
*  1 cup sugar
*  small bundle of mint
*  2 cups of ice

Directions:

1. To make simple syrup: in a skillet, combine 2 cups of water with 1 cup of sugar. Bring to boil, add mint bundle, turn off the heat and let it cool completely. When cold remove the mint and set aside.
2. In a blender, combine cubed pineapple with  simple syrup and blend until smooth.
3. Combine blended pineapple with rum, lime juice and Ginger Ale. Taste everything as you are adding ingredients so you make is exactly as you like it (you may want to adjust the amount of some ingredients).
4. Add ice and serve.

   Delicious! I think it would be really good also with other types of fruit ... I can't wait for watermelon season to begin! That sounds like a perfect fruit to make a drink with.

Enjoy,
Magda.

Happy Easter!

   How is everybody spending this Easter? I wish I could be in Poland and spend it with my family because there is nothing better than Polish Easter. Lots of traditions, lots of eggs, and lots of kielbasa... it doesn't get any better than that! But just because I can't be it in Poland doesn't mean that we won't have traditional holidays with lots of eggs and kielbasa (vegetarian experiment is OVER!) and great friends. Oh, and Babka too! It's a traditional Easter yeast cake that can be made hundreds of different ways. This time I decided to make a lemon version of it... delicious! Here is the recipe:

Leaven:

*  2/4 cup warm 2% milk
*  3/4 oz dry yeast
*  2 tbsp sugar
*  1 cup all-purpose flour

Dough:

*  3 cups all-purpose flour
*  3/4 cup sugar
*  2 eggs
*  3 egg yolks
*  1 stick butter, melted
*  pinch of salt
*  zest from 2 lemons

Icing:

*  1 cup powdered sugar
*  juice from one lemon

Directions:

1. Make leaven: in a bowl combine yeast with warm milk and let it stand for 2-3 minutes. Add sugar and flour, mix to combine, cover with kitchen towel and let it stand in warm place for 1 hour.
2. When leaven rises add remaining flour and sugar, eggs and egg yolks, salt and lemon zest. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes.
3. Add melted and cooled butter and knead the dough until all butter is absorbed and dough is shiny and elastic.
4. Transfer into greased bunt cake pan, cover with kitchen towel and let it stand for 1 hour.
5. Bake at 345F for 30 minutes, remove from the pan and let it cool down.
6. To make icing combine powdered sugar with lemon juice, mix until smooth and runny and pour over the cake. Let it set.

   There is no better smell than a yeast cake! Yeast and lemons...even better. There are few staples on the Easter table in my house... previously mentioned eggs and kielbasa, zurek (sour rye soup), dessert and... tulips! I can't imagine Easter without these beautiful flowers! They just scream Spring to me!

Happy Easter,
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

Fat Tuesday specials.

   Fat Tuesday Polish specials I should say... no, wait... Fat Thursday Polish specials! In Poland we celebrate Fat Thursday rather than Fat Tuesday (like in the US) and that day is filled with paczki (fried, yeast doughnuts filled with rose jam), and faworki, also know as "chrust" (also fried). You know they are bad for you, you know you will have a sugar/fat coma as soon as you finish your 5th piece, but because it's one of the biggest traditions, you'll do it anyways! As a real Polish gal, I would never break such a great (and delicious) tradition, so I made whole bunch of faworki and enjoyed them the entire day (to avoid diabetes I gave away most of them!). Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

*  2 cups all purpose flour
*  3 yolks
*  1 egg
*  1 tbsp sugar
*  pinch of salt
*  2 tsp vinegar
*  2 tbsp sour cream

*  oil for frying
*  powdered sugar for decoration

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients (without oil and powdered sugar) into a bowl and knead the dough until smooth and not sticky. If it is too dry add a little bit of sour cream.
2. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30-40 minutes.
3. Split the dough into smaller parts and roll it very thin.
4.  Cut the rolled dough into rectangles 2-inches long and 1-cm wide.
5. Cut a slit in the middle of every rectangle and pull one end through the slit.
6. Heat the oil to a high temperature and fry them on each side until golden (about 1-2 minutes per side).
7. Drain the oil on a kitchen towel, dust generously with powdered sugar and enjoy.

   You don't even know how happy they made me... and I'm not talking about eating, but making them. It took me right back to my grandma's kitchen, where I used to watch her make them every year... such a great memory!

Enjoy,
Magda.