Oven-baked broccoli, potato, mushroom, bacon and Cheddar omelette August 16, 2012

Omelettes are very versatile and satisfying, plus they will feed an army! There are so many different fillings and toppings that you can experiment with…..the flavor combos are endless! This particular omelette has my favorite ingredients: broccoli, potatoes, mushrooms, bacon, and cheese!!  Yum! 🙂



(6 servings)

Ingredients:


1 head of broccoli (trimmed and cut into florets)
250-300 g (9-10 oz) bacon (cut into thick strips or cubes)
3-4 medium sized potatoes (peeled and cubed)
1 large bell pepper or 2 medium ones (any color) (finely chopped)
250 g (9 oz) fresh mushrooms (sliced)
1 large yellow onion (finely chopped)
350-400 g (12 – 14 oz) Cheddar cheese (shredded)
1-2 tbsp corn oil
12 eggs + 2 dl (¾ c) milk
1 tsp salt
0.5 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp fresh or frozen parsley (finely chopped)
1 tbsp fresh or frozen chives (finely chopped)


1. Heat oven to 200 C (400 F)
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the broccoli for 3-4 minutes. It should have a nice bright green color when it’s done.
3. Heat corn oil in a large skillet and fry potatoes until golden brown.
4. Put onion, bell peppers, and mushrooms in skillet and cook until tender. Set aside.
5. Cook bacon in the same oil until it is light brown, but not crispy, otherwise it will burn in the oven…
6. Drain excess oil and fat.
7. Put the potatoes, onion, bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, and half of the bacon in a 30x25x5 cm  (12x10x2 in) baking dish or baking pan.
8. Beat the eggs with milk, salt, pepper, and herbs.
9. Add half of the shredded Cheddar cheese to the egg mixture.
10. Pour egg mixture over the ingredients in the baking dish and top with the rest of the bacon..
11. Bake for 25 minutes.
12. Take the omelette out of the oven, top with the rest of the Cheddar cheese and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes (depending on your oven and how crispy you want your omelette to be)


(Tip: You can use other cheeses such as Gouda or Edam or combine two or three different cheeses.)

Mini meatball & potato soup April 22, 2012

Soup is such a versatile meal and usually very easy to prepare since it virtually cooks itself…You can easily substitute one ingredient for another or add more or less of a certain ingredient…it’s all up to you really… I enjoy experimenting in the kitchen and soup is a wonderful way of combining different ingredients, and I’m almost always pleased with the results. In this case I took your basic tomato/vegetable soup and added mini meatballs to it..I love meatballs, and I love soup…perfect!

(8 servings)

Ingredients:

500 g (1 lb) ground beef
4 medium sized potatoes (peeled and cubed)
2 ribs of celery (peeled and finely chopped)
2 large yellow onions (diced)
2 l (2 qts) water
5 dl (2 c) frozen peas
300 g (10 oz) canned corn (drained)
400 g (14 oz) canned mixed beans (rinsed and drained)
500 g  (18 oz) strained tomatoes
3 tbsp concentrated beef stock
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp fresh or frozen parsley (finely chopped)
1 tbsp fresh or frozen chives (finely chopped)
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

Garnish/Toppings:

1 tsp fresh or frozen chives (finely chopped)/serving
1 tbsp crème fraîche or sour cream/serving

1. In a large pot over high heat, bring water, butter and stock to a boil.
2. Add potatoes and reduce heat to medium.
3. Prepare the meatballs by mixing the ground beef with paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
4. Using your hands, roll the meatballs into 2.5 cm/1 in balls.

5. Put the meatballs into the pot along with the onions, celery, peas, corn, beans, and strained tomatoes.
6. After 20-25 minutes, add herbs and give the soup a gentle stir.
7. Cook for 20-25 more minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the meatballs are cooked through.
8. Serve with a dollop of crème fraîche or sour cream in the middle and chives on top.

(Tip: Don’t like beans or peas? Substitute them with more potatoes. )

Thai-style salmon in coconut sauce with vegetables April 20, 2012

Well, it’s been a while again…I had some major problems with my computer, but I’m back on track now!  🙂

Anyone in the mood for Asian food? Instead of calling your local take out place, you can whip this meal up in no time, and it looks, tastes, and smells great! Plus it’s healthier and MSG-free… Break out your chopsticks everybody!

(6 servings)

Ingredients:

500g (18 oz) skinless, boneless salmon fillets (cut into bite size pieces)
400 g (14 oz) frozen stir fry vegetables (thawed)
500 ml (17 fl. oz) coconut milk
1 lime (zest + juice)
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp concentrated seafood stock
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp curry powder
0.5 tsp chili powder
0.5 tsp salt
0.5 tsp black pepper

Garnish:

1 tsp fresh or frozen coriander leaves (finely chopped)
1 tsp ginger root (grated or very finely chopped)
1 red chili pepper (seeded and finely chopped)

1. In a sauté pan over medium-high heat, bring coconut milk, tomato paste, seafood stock, lime zest, paprika, curry powder, and chili powder to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat to medium-low and give the sauce a good stir.
3. Add the salmon and simmer for 5-7 minutes.
4. Add salt, black pepper, lime juice, and thawed vegetables.
5. Cook for a few more minutes, stirring gently, until the vegetables are heated through.
6. Serve with noodles (or jasmine rice if you prefer).
7. Garnish with coriander, ginger root, and chili.

Peanut Butter Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting February 28, 2012

Do you like chocolate? Do you like peanut butter? Do you like Nutella? If you answered yes to all three questions, then this is the cupcake for you!! Imagine a super chocolaty, peanut buttery and heavenly cupcake topped with a creamy Nutella frosting! Well, what are you waiting for…Make a batch and indulge!  Yummy!! 😉

(12 cupcakes)

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:
4 dl ( 1 ¾ c) flour
1.75 dl (¾ c) sugar
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla powder
2 pinches of salt
7 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
175 g (6 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 dl (¾ c) peanut butter
1 egg
3 dl (1 ⅓ c) milk
1 dl (3.5 fl oz.) corn oil
0.5 dl (¼ c) chocolate syrup



Nutella frosting:
200 g (7 oz) Nutella
200 g (7 oz) cream cheese


For the frosting which can be prepared the same day or one day in advance:
1. Beat cream cheese until soft.
2. Add Nutella to the cream cheese and beat until creamy and well incorporated.

For the cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 200 C (390 F).
2. Grease a muffin tin or line with paper muffin cups.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, vanilla, salt and cocoa powder.
4. In another bowl, beat egg, milk, oil, chocolate syrup, and peanut butter for a minute or two.
5. Pour mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until batter is smooth. Do not overmix…
6. Spoon batter into the muffin tin, filling almost all the way to the top.
7. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top and press them down into the batter a bit by using a toothpick or a teaspoon…
8. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
9. Allow cupcakes to cool for 10-15 minutes before frosting them.
10.Frost the cupcakes with the Nutella frosting and decorate with sprinkles or white chocolate chips.

Bananaberry Crumb Pie November 16, 2011

November is one of the darkest months of the year, and with winter just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to curl up on the couch and watch a good movie with a nice, hot beverage of your choice and something good to eat. Why not treat yourself to some warm bananaberry crumb pie with a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream? It will make you think of summer and put a smile on your face! 🙂



(8 servings)


Ingredients:


Crumb Topping:
2.5 dl (1 c) flour
2.5 dl (1 c) granulated sugar
125 g (4.5 oz) butter


Filling:
3 medium-sized ripe bananas
350 g (12 oz) frozen strawberries,thawed or 350 g (12 oz) fresh strawberries + 1.5 tbsp water
1.75 dl (¾ c) granulated sugar
0.5 dl (¼ c) brown sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
0.25 tsp ground cardamom (if you can’t find this spice, nutmeg is the next best thing, but cardamom is better)
2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice


1. Preheat oven to 225 C (435 F).
2. Cut the butter into small pieces (1 cm/0.5 in) and set aside for a while.
3. Mash the strawberries with a fork and add the sugars, cornstarch, cardamom (or nutmeg), and orange juice, mixing well.
4. Peel and slice the bananas into “coins”. To prevent the bananas from turning brown while you’re slicing them, sprinkle them with a few drops of lemon juice.
5. Add the flour and sugar to the butter and using either a fork or a U-shaped pastry cutter, cut butter into flour and sugar until the mixture is crumbly. The crumbs should be the size of peas if you want a crunchy granola/müsli type texture, but if you’re like me and prefer a crispy and candy-like topping then continue cutting until the crumbs are very small.
6. Fill a 25 cm (10 in) shallow pie pan with the sliced bananas and pour the strawberry mixture over them. It should look like this:



7. Cover with the crumb topping.
8. Bake 20 – 25 minutes depending on your oven. (I have an electric oven and it takes exactly 20 minutes.) The pie is ready when the crumb topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling through the topping.
9. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Beef and Veggie Skillet November 12, 2011

I’m finally back after a very long absence due to many different factors, which I won’t bore you with…With me I have a whole bunch of recipes that I’m going to share with you starting today! 🙂 This recipe is the result of a game I like to call “Effie’s Food Roulette”, which means that  I look in the fridge/freezer/cabinets and pick out a few ingredients that I think go well together and make something out of them! It’s a very easy meal to prepare and it tastes great too!  You can make this for lunch, brunch or dinner and serve it with rice, pasta or potatoes…It will feed a small army (or 6 people….😀)

(4-6 servings)

Ingredients:


500 g (1 lb) ground beef
1.25 dl (½ c) dried red lentils (rinsed and sorted through)
1 large red, yellow, or green bell pepper (diced)
1 large yellow or red onion (finely chopped)
1 300 g (10 oz) can of corn (drained)
1 300 g (10 oz) can of sliced mushrooms (with liquid)
1 tbsp olive oil
1.25 dl (½ c) vegetable stock
2 tbsp tomato paste
0.5 tsp dried oregano
0.5 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp fresh or frozen chives (finely chopped)
1 tsp salt
0.5 tsp ground black pepper


1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil, add 1 tsp of salt, and cook the lentils for 5 minutes or until tender. Be careful not to overcook them, they will turn to mush.
2. Rinse lentils under cold water, drain, and set aside.
3. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet.
4. Add the beef, breaking it up into smaller pieces with a wooden fork, a spatula with holes in it, or a potato masher.
5. When the meat starts to brown, add the bell pepper and the onion and cook until tender.
6. Add the mushrooms with liquid, the vegetable stock, tomato paste, dried herbs, salt, and pepper.
7. Give it a good stir and simmer over medium heat for a few minutes until the liquid has reduced and thickened slightly.
8. Add lentils, corn, and chives and cook over low heat until heated through, a couple of minutes.
9. Serve with rice, pasta or potatoes (fries, wedges, mashed, etc.. this goes well with everything.)


(Tip: The mushrooms can be omitted, substitute the mushrooms with more bell pepper, corn or lentils and the mushroom liquid with 1.25 dl (½ c) water.)

Choco-nana cupcakes with Nutella frosting August 9, 2011

I decided to post yet another chocoholic recipe and this one calls out to all the Nutella fans as well! AND, if you happen to like the chocolate-banana-Nutella flavor combo, then these cupcakes will blow your mind! 🙂

(8 jumbo cupcakes or 16 regular-sized)

Ingredients:


Cupcakes:
4.75 dl ( 2 c) flour
1.75 dl (¾ c) sugar
4.5 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla powder
2 pinches of salt
8 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 large, very ripe bananas (mashed) (the riper the banana, the more banana flavor these cupcakes will have)
2 eggs
3 dl (1 ⅓ c) milk
1 dl (3.5 fl oz) corn oil
0.5 dl (¼ c) chocolate syrup


Nutella frosting:
200 g (7 oz) Nutella
200 g (7 oz) cream cheese


For the frosting which can be prepared the same day or one day in advance:
1. Beat cream cheese until soft.
2. Add Nutella to the cream cheese and beat until creamy and well incorporated.


For the cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 200 C (390 F).
2. Grease a muffin tin or line with paper muffin cups.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, vanilla, salt and cocoa powder.
4. In another bowl, beat eggs, milk, oil, chocolate syrup, and bananas for a couple of minutes, until relatively smooth..
5. Pour mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until batter is smooth. Do not overmix…
6. Pour batter into the muffin tin, filling each cup about ¾ full.
7. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
8. Allow cupcakes to cool for 10-15 minutes before frosting them.
9. Frost the cupcakes with the Nutella frosting and decorate with sprinkles or white chocolate chips.

Choco Lovers Bars August 2, 2011

This is a choco lover’s dream: chewy gooey bars packed with chunks of milk chocolate and crushed walnuts….topped with chocolate syrup and chocolate chips… So yummy and chocolatey! Share them with friends and family or eat them all by yourself…it’s up to you! 🙂

(15-20 bars)


Ingredients:

5.25 dl ( 2 ¼ c) flour
1.25 dl (½ c) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp of salt
225 g (8 oz.) butter (softened) *
1.75 dl (¾ c) granulated sugar
1.75 dl (¾ c) brown sugar
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
1.25 dl (½ c) chocolate syrup
2 eggs
200 g milk chocolate (cut into 1 cm/0.5 in cubes)
2.5 dl (1 c) chopped walnuts


1. Preheat oven to 190 C (375 F).
2. Grease a 40x30x5 cm (16x12x2 in) rectangular cake pan.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. In another bowl, beat butter, sugars, vanilla extract, and chocolate syrup until creamy.
5. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition, until well incorporated.
6. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.
7. Carefully stir in the chocolate and the nuts. Do not overmix…
8. Spread mixture evenly into cake pan and flatten slightly with the back of a spoon or spatula.
9. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
10.Cut into bars after cooling .
11.Serve with chocolate chips and chocolate syrup on top.

* To soften butter, microwave it on the defrost setting for a total of 15-20 seconds, 5 seconds at a time, turning the butter after each 5-second interval.

(Tip: Whipped cream and mini marshmallows can also go on top for extra yumminess!)

(Tip 2: Allergic to nuts or just don’t like the way they taste? Substitute the nuts with 2.5 dl (1 c) chocolate..Why not try white chocolate?)

 

Chocolate-chocolate chip muffins with ice cream on top July 15, 2011

Calling all chocoholics! This is the muffin for you! Chocolate muffins loaded with gooey chocolate chips and topped with your favorite ice cream (why not chocolate or vanilla fudge swirl for example?) and sprinkles… And if you’re feeling extra naughty, top with a generous helping of whipped cream and hot fudge…YUM!! 🙂

(12 muffins)

Ingredients:


4 dl ( 1 ¾ c) flour
1.75 dl (¾ c) sugar
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla powder
2 pinches of salt
7 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
175 g (6 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 egg
3 dl (1 ⅓ c) milk
1 dl (3.5 fl oz.) corn oil


1. Preheat oven to 200 C (390 F).
2. Grease a muffin tin or line with paper muffin cups.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, vanilla, salt and cocoa powder.
4. In another bowl, beat egg, milk, and oil for 1 minute.
5. Pour mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until batter is smooth. Do not overmix…
6. Pour batter into the muffin tin, filling almost all the way to the top.
7. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of each muffin and press them down into the batter a bit by using a toothpick or a teaspoon…
8. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
9. Allow muffins to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
10.Serve muffins with ice cream and sprinkles on top.


(Tip: Hot fudge and whipped cream can also go on top for an extra indulgent treat!)

Apfelschorle July 14, 2011

Apfelschorle is a popular beverage in Germany, which I had the pleasure of tasting for the first time when I was there in May. The word “Apfelschorle” basically means carbonated apple juice and is a healthier alternative to other carbonated drinks, which are packed with sugar and additives. This is just pure fruit juice and sparkling water. It’s absolutely delicious and refreshing..Perfect for those hot summer days!

(makes 2 liters/2 quarts)


Ingredients:

1 l (1 qt) sparkling water
1 l (1 qt) apple juice


1. Pour the juice and sparkling water into a large pitcher.
2. Stir to mix.
3. Pour into glasses garnished with apple wedges (Why? Well, because it looks pretty :)) and add ice if you want.


(Tip: You can even make schorle with other fruit juices…Just substitute the apple juice with your favorite fruit juice and voilà!)