Homemade Bagels...

(Not only do I enjoy my bagels with cream cheese, but with some butter, and rosemary.)




Makes: 10

Prep. Time: 20-30 minutes

Oven Time: 20-25 minutes

• 450 g all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 1 packet instant dry yeast
• seeds (optional)
• oil

• Add yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar to 100 ml hot water(big bowl), let it sit for 10 minutes. Add an additional 200 ml hot water to yeast, then add salt. Mix in half of the flour, stir, mix in second half. Make sure all ingredients are incorporated into dough, knead dough for about 10 minutes (should be elastic, light, and non-sticky). Grease bowl with oil, let dough sit for 1 hour, covered. After dough has risen, cut into 10 pieces. Roll into ball, slightly flatten into "pancake" form, push pancake onto the ends of a rolling pin, twist until you form a hole. Cover already formed bagels.

• Preheat oven to 200-220 C. Boil water, add remaining teaspoons of sugar to water. Add 4 bagels into boiling water, cook for 1-2 minutes on each side. Add seeds onto bagel (optional). Cook bagels for 20-25 minutes, or until golden.

(The bagel dough, after I have kneaded it.)

(Put the dough onto the rolling pin holders, and twist the dough until you've formed a hole.)

ENJOY!

This recipe is totally fool-proof, everybody is able to make these delicious tasting bagels.

Easy Zucchini And Pasta

Prep. time: 1-2 minutes

Cooking: 25 minutes

• 1 zucchini
• salt and pepper
• oregano, preferably fresh
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• olive oil

Heat pan, add olive oil. Dived zucchini into two, and cut first half into slices. Add slices to pan, cook for 10-12 minutes while mixing occasionally. Set cooked zucchini slices onto plate, and cook other half of sliced zucchini for 10-12 minutes. Add all zucchini slices onto pan, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and oregano (I didn't have any, so I used rosemary). Cook for 5 minutes.

Serve with pasta, or also can be served as a side dish with any kind of meat (chicken, fish, beef, etc.)

ENJOY!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies...

Makes: 30 or more, 

Prep. time: 15 minutes, 

Baking: 10-15 minutes

• 2 cups plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups, or as many chocolate chips you'd like

•  Preheat oven 325°. Whisk together dry ingredients; set aside. Mix (by hand, or electric mixer) butter and sugars together until combined. Beat in egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined.  Add dry ingredients, and stir in chocolate chips/chunks.
• Scoop dough onto parchment paper, and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until cookie is golden, edges crispy, and center soft.

Adapted from  Annie Eats 

ENJOY!

P.S. I was experimenting with different blogs, and I came to the conclusion that BLOGGER is better than most, and the picture quality has gotten way better. So, I am STICKING to BLOGGER.

Basil Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce

Prep. time: 2o minutes,
Cooking: 1-2 minutes,
Serves: 3-4 people

TOMATO SAUCE

• 400 g canned tomatoes, cut and mash
• 1 shallot, finely cut
• 2 garlic cloves, finely cut
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary)
• 2 sprigs of thyme (or 2 teaspoons dried thyme)
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper
• pinch sugar

GNOCCHI

• 500 g starchy potatoes, peeled and diced
• 15 g or more basil leaves, finely cut
• 200 g all purpose flour

• Add cut and mashed tomatoes into pot, with half cup of water from tomato can. Add the rest of the ingredients into pot, and add as much salt and pepper as you like. Cook at medium-low for at least 1 hour, until thick and dark.
• Cook potatoes until soft (15-20 minutes). Strain potatoes, and mash. Add basil, flour, and add a generous amount of salt and pepper. Work into a ball, then knead for a couple of minutes. Cut gnocchi dough into sections, then roll out into long noodles, and then cut into small looking cylinders
• Cook gnocchi in boiling water with salt for 1-2 minutes, or until gnocchi start to float at water’s surface. Remove from pot, and serve.

TIP: Gnocchi and tomato sauce go well with fresh arugula or finely cut basil.

BUONO APETITO!

Fluffy Pancakes with Strawberries

Serves: 4-6 people

Prep. time: 10-15 minutes

Cooking: 10-15 minutes

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder (heaping)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 eggs, egg whites and yolk separate
• 1 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup ricotta
• strawberries, blueberries...

Add flour, baking powder, sugar, egg yolk, buttermilk, and vanilla extract. Whisk together. Beat egg whites together in a separate bowl until they form peaks. Add beaten egg whites to the first bowl, then add ricotta. Whisk together gently. Heat pan, add oil. Cook each side of pancake for 3-4 minutes, or until golden.

Add your favorite, or seasonal fruit to already-cooked pancakes.

These pancakes are well worth the 20-30 minutes that you spend making them, and can be saved for the next morning.

Enjoy!

Chicken with Gujarati sauce

Serves: 4 people

Prep. time: 5 minutes

Cooking: about 30 minutes

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 tablespoon ground peppers
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons curry
• 4 tablespoons fat plain yogurt
• salt
• butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Fresh coriander (optional)
• Basmati rice

Get rid of excess fat, and cut chicken into pieces. Finely cut, then dice onion. Let butter melt with olive oil on pan. Add diced onion with pepper, ginger, curry, gram masala, and salt together. Stir while cooking for 1-2 minutes. Add crushed garlic cloves, yogurt, and chicken. Stir. Cook at medium with lid on pan for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with rice.

Add fresh coriander to finished dish(optional).

NOTE: This recipe is very easy to make, yet very strong and delicious tasting.

Please enjoy!