Gingerbread muffins

Christmas baking today. The house smells wonderful. I wanted to make some muffins, as I had some beautiful little Christmas muffin cups in the cupboard, and I just love the smells of cinnamon and ginger in baking. Given that the weather is also freezing cold today - currently it is 1 degree Celsius outside - what better than warming up the house a bit with the oven.

I didn't ice my muffins; you could if you like, but they are lovely to eat warm, directly from the oven with a cup of tea. Did I mention the divine baking smell?

Baked eggplant with feta, tomatoes and herbs

Yes, I admit it, I have a thing for eggplant. I am seeing someone about it - my green grocer. He's very helpful.

Here is another way to cook this most wonderful fruit (yes, it is a fruit!)

Broccoli with mushrooms and bacon

It is mushroom season in Europe at the moment. Due to a wetter-than-normal summer, there is a plentiful supply of many types of mushrooms.

In this recipe, I've used Eierschwammerl, a mushroom type native to central Europe, but you could use whatever mushrooms you have handy.

The Eierschwammerl have a short season, between July and October, depending on the weather. For this reason they can be expensive, unless you know where to go mushroom hunting to pick some for free. But the wonderful flavour and texture of these mushrooms is unlike anything I've ever had, so well worth the expense. A small amount of these mushrooms go a long way too as they are quite strong in flavour, but generally hold their shape quite well once cooked.

They go best in a creamy sauce for meat, game or bread dumplings (knodel). But I think this combination with broccoli and bacon is rather nice too.

Kaiserschmarrn (shredded pancakes)

This is my version of the typical Austrian dessert - Kaiserschmarrn. Basically, it is a large pancake that is shredded/chopped and is then served warm with fruit, a sweet sauce or some icing sugar. I've seen this dish served as an evening main meal, especially to children and especially in cold weather. It is also really wonderful for lunch after a day on the ski slopes.

In my version, I used dried cranberries, fresh strawberries, maple syrup and some icing sugar, although the icing sugar was only for decoration.

Eggplant schnitzel

These schnitzels are really gorgeous; crunchy, crispy coating and silky, soft eggplant inside. So, so delicious to eat. If there is anyone if your family who doesn't like eggplant, give them these and you might find they are converted. My grandmother used to make these when I was a child, so I have some nice memories of eating these too.

Mini caramel tarts

What I love most about this recipe; it's just so pretty! What I love second best; it has dulce de leche in it! What I love third best; crunchy, biscuity base. It goes on and on.....

Zucchini ribbons with tuna, olives and tomato

If you are eating Paleo or low-carb then this dish is perfect for you. Fish is a good source of protein but generally has less calories than a similar portion of beef or pork.

Banana ice cream sundae

Very quick little recipe/idea for a dessert, or afternoon special treat.

This ice cream sundae was my little treat on a Sunday afternoon, after having a marvelous time at a friend's birthday party the evening before. I needed a little pick-me-up (as you do) and as the weather was hot and sticky, this cool treat hit the spot.

Beef steak with pan-fried Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, bacon and aspargus

Recipe for one - I was very hungry, I was cooking just for myself and I love a good steak.

Berry, lemon curd and mascarpone sponge cake

One of the joys of living where I do is the availability of berries. Especially in late spring, summer and into autumn, they are cheap, plentiful and there are many varieties to choose from. But luckily too, berries are generally available all year round and are not too expensive, no matter the season.

Cheesy bacon and egg pies

Quick idea for school lunch boxes, or perhaps an after school snack. Or you could just make a batch of these and keep on hand in the fridge for hungry people for breakfast. Or a picnic. Just about anywhere really!

Spaghetti nests

This idea is borrowed - thanks Barb! This is really a serving idea, rather than a recipe, but if you have children this will go down a treat. It's also an excellent way to use up extra pasta - even if said pasta is a bit dried up and stuck together.

Panfried salmon with crunchy Asian-style salad

It's been a while, sorry! We moved apartments, so I've been a little busy getting everything in order at the new place.

If you've read any of my recipes, you will know I have a thing for lots of texture in my food, crunch in particular is my thing. This recipe with salmon and lots of crunchy vegetables ticks the crunch box for me. The freshness of the vegetables, herbs and nuts provides a good contrast to the richness of the salmon.

Ricotta and banana pancakes

Today is Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day, the first day of Lent for Christians around the world.

I remember as a child eating lots of pancakes at school on this day and wondering what it was all about. 'Why would Jesus eat pancakes,' I thought.

Now I'm celebrating Pancake Day with my own children, which is lovely, but makes me feel a little old too.

This recipe using ricotta and banana is excellent for fluffy and very tasty pancakes. I like to eat them hot out of the pan with some golden syrup drizzled over the top. Just delicious. Maybe these will be my sacrifice for Lent (or maybe not)!

Tuna, salmon and sweet corn burgers

This was a real 'what is in the cupboard that I can cook quickly for lunch' recipe.

I had hungry children due home in an hour and no time to run to a grocery shop. A search through the pantry cupboard revealed a tin of tuna in brine, one tin of pink salmon and a tin of sweet corn. Put all that together and you get the above - tuna, salmon and sweet corn burgers. The children had theirs as burgers on a bread roll with some lettuce and tomato. I had mine with an avocado and orange salad. Just delightful, and the leftovers went well for lunch the next day.

Pork and prawn salad with green curry dressing

I would eat some kind of casserole or stew everything day during colder weather if I could. I blame my Dad for this, because he makes an excellent casserole, and I enjoyed many of them in my younger days. The other people in my house tend to get a bit sick of this kind of comfort' food, especially the man of the house. He has been know to refer to this type of food as 'sloppy.' 'Wash his mouth out,' I say!

Clearly the above dish is not a casserole or stew. It is my attempt at keeping the peace at the dinner table.
It was destined to be a pork and prawn green curry with spinach - read 'sloppy' - that I turned into a salad instead. Clever, aren't I! It wasn't too hard, tasted great and got me some smiles around the table.

Baked black forest cheesecake

Serious dessert time again. My man has a thing for black forest anything. For him, the combination of the sweet sour cherries, chocolate and cream takes him to his 'special happy place.' He likes black forest cakes, trifle, tarts, and now he likes black forest cheesecake slice. This was his birthday dessert this year.

I wanted to create something special, of course. I thought about making just a plain black forest cake, but that seems a bit boring. We all like cheesecake so I thought it might be interesting to incorporate the black forest flavours into a chocolate cheesecake. I made the cheesecake in a loaf tin as I thought it would look pretty.

And the words, 'best dessert ever!' may have been mentioned once or twice by my man. Mission accomplished I think.

Orange and carrot cake

I was asked to make this cake by someone I know. It was her boyfriend's birthday, and she wanted to surprise him with a cake. He doesn't like chocolate or cakes with creamy fillings, which limits the field somewhat. I was told that he likes cakes with fruit such as apples or carrots. So, here is the cake that I created. It is a light and zesty-flavoured cake, thanks to the two whole oranges, but the carrot and almond meal keeps it moist. I made the icing with orange juice and zest to give it a real orange flavour punch. 

The feedback was that it was 'excellent'. Just what I like to hear.