How to make a chocolate covered strawberries

Summer is almost here and so is sun, fun and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. My friend Tania* thinks there is nothing better then start your day with a light desert :) she loves strawberries and always makes small batches of this almost guilt-free desert when berries are in season.

Chocolate cover strawberries are quick to make, delicious and look fabulous. All you need to make it is some fresh strawberries with stems, white and milk chocolate and of course, some cooking inspiration.  

As with all berries, this is quickly perishable desert so prepare it on the day of serving.

Here is how to make it:

1. Rinse your berries and dry them thoroughly on a paper towel.

 

2. Use chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate. Melt your white and milk chocolate separate, in a double boiler, stirring until it is melted completely. If you'd like, add about 1/2 to 1 tea spoon of neutral tasting cooking oil to make chocolate more flexible. Do not cover your chocolate to avoid a liquid condensation and dripping into your pan.

3. Remove the chocolates from the heat. Hold your prepared berries by the stem and dip them in either white or milk chocolate. Place on prepared baking sheet lined with a parchment or wax paper. Use the contrast color chocolate and a fork or culinary bag to drizzle over your berries.

 

4. Place strawberries in a refrigerator for about 30 minutes to an hour until the chocolate is set. Your fabulous chocolate covered strawberries are ready to serve!

*Tania is one of the owners of the cozy guest house by the Black Sea. If you'd like to have a summer vacation right next to the one of the best Crimean beaches, Belyaus, please  contact her through her Instagram (@belayus_homesweethome) She will be happy to hear from you!

 

Mixed citrus marmalade recipe

Since we have 3 citrus trees in our garden, I am trying to find some good ways to preserve it. Last year my favorite was preserved  lemon Meyer (lemons with salt), this year is new quick mixed citrus marmalade and lemon Meyer curd bars. I will be happy to share all of them.

Let's start with mixed citrus marmalade.

You will need:

1 lbs of lemon Meyer

1 lbs orange

3 cups sugar (or add some more if you feel that the mix is not sweet enough for you. I'd say, to taste :) )

2 tablespoon pineapple rum (I used Captain Morgan Pineapple rum)

water (to boil the peel)

Wash your citrus with warm water and wipe it dry. Peel them, then remove the inner white lining with a flexible knife. Discard the lining. Use the electric chopper to chop the peel to a small pieces.

Place the chopped peel into a small pot, cover it with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook on a medium heat for about 1 hour. Strain and discard the liquid.

While peel is cooking, prepare you citrus. Cut fruits in small pieces on a plate, remove the seeds, leftover of white linings and membranes, transfer it to a wide stainless steel pot. Add sugar, mix it and let it stay at the room temperature until the peel is done.

Prepare your canning jars. I am washing mine with warm water and dish soap, then cleaning jars with baking soda, rinsing it well and drying it on a clean kitchen towel. Then I am placing jars without the lids to a baking tray, placing it in the oven and heating it to 200'F to sterilize. They sits there for about 10 minutes or a little longer, so the cooked marmalade will go to a warm sterile jars.Meanwhile, I will place the lids to a glass bowl and add some boiling water on top to cover them. I will let them stay there for about 5 minutes, then transfer them with a kitchen tongues to a clean paper towel. The lids and jars have to be dry so wipe the excess water with a clean paper towel.

Add strained peel to the pot with citrus, mix it well with a wooden spoon and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook on low for about an hour. Add pineapple rum, stir into mixture and let it cook for another 10 minutes. Pour the marmalade into prepared jars and top with lids and rims. Close them tight and turn them over to cool on a clean kitchen towel.

Store in refrigerator.

Try it, it's delicious.

Lemon Curd Bars recipe

I found this recipe on Allrecipies.com. I was looking for ways to use the enormous amount of lemon curd I made this year and this recipe was exactly what I needed. The bars are delicious, easy to make and you can wrap and freeze them for future use.

I made small changes in their recipe so please see below. If you want to use the original recipe, please simply go here

Here is what you need to make Lemon Curd Bars:

1 cup butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

 20 oz lemon curd (purchased or you can make it yourself, the recipe is here)

3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

How to make Lemon Curd Bars:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 1. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until creamy. Add flour, baking soda and salt. Mix until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Pat 3/4 of mixture into bottom of ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

2. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Spread curd over baked layer. Add coconut and walnuts to remaining crumb mixture (step 1); stir to mix. Sprinkle over curd.

3. Bake additional 25 minutes or until lightly brown. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Cut into squares.

So this recipe is definitely a keeper for me.

Enjoy!

Candied sweet potato for Thanksgiving, recipe

This is a new recipe I've tried over last Thanksgiving and everyone loved it. I used the fresh sweet potato to make this and it tastes so much better than the canned yams !

So here it is, a new favorite, easy to make candied sweet red potato:

Ingredients:

3 large red sweet potato

2 cups miniature marshmallows + about 1 cup for topping

1 1/4 brown sugar

1 1/4 cup margarine (I used I can't believe it's not butter)

ground cinnamon and nutmeg to taste

Wash the sweet potato and cook it (boil, let it cook on medium heat until almost done). Let them cool, peel and roughly mash them. 

Combine the sugar, 2 cups of marshmallows, margarine, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium saucepan. Cook it on medium heat, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes.

Mix mashed potatoes with the syrup and transfer it to a prepared baking dish. Add some marshmallows on top and bake in the preheated to 400'F oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Delicious!

Half Sour Pickles recipe

This summer I found some really great pickling recipes to preserve our harvest in a jar. I tried so many of them and they are all very good but many of them have vinegar as an ingredient. While the vinegar is great to preserve food, I am trying to cut on acidic foods if possible, so I really like Inessa's (vintageer shop on Etsy)  half sour pickles recipes. The pickles are easy to make and ready to eat in about 3 days. I slice them and put them on a sandwich - delicious!

I don't have the black currant leaves and tarragon but pickles taste great anyway.

 

So with Inessa permission I am publishing her recipe on my blog today.

 

Ingredients:
Small pickling cucumbers (enough to fill 1 Quart jar)
Enough water to cover said cucumbers
2 Tbsp (per 4 cups of water) pickling salt (or sea salt)
4- 5 garlic cloves cut in half
3-4 stems fresh dill (with seeds and flowers)
1 tbsp black pepper corns
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp celery seeds
3-4 fresh black currant leaves (or horseradish leaf)
1 tarragon stem (optional)

Wash the cucumbers well and let them soak in a bowl of cold water for an hour. Put the cucumbers in a clean glass canning jar. Add the spices, the garlic cloves,  black currant leaves, tarragon and dill to the jar.

Dissolve the salt in the boiled water and pour into the jar over the cucumbers. Make sure the cucumbers are completely under the water.

Cover and let sit for three or four days in cool shaded space. Then move to the fridge to chill. Enjoy!

Candied lemon Meyer's peel

As I mentioned in my previous post, I had lots of lemons this winter and was looking for an easy way to store them for future use. So I froze the juice and used the peel to make a candied lemon peel. All you need is sugar, water and of course, a lemon peel ( I am using a lemon Meyer one and just love how thin and fragrant the skin is).

 Here is how I made it:

 

1. Clean your lemons with warm water and wipe them dry. Cut in half horizontally and juice them, using citrus juicer. Strain the juice through fine mesh colander and pour into prepared ice cube trays. Save the peel.

 

2. Cut the half lemon peel into quarters. With a flexible knife, remove the inner white lining and discard it. Cut the lemon peel into long skinny strips. Pack it in the prepared measuring cup (I am using 2-cup measuring cup as a measure) .

3. Heat 4 cups of water until it boils. Add 2 cups packed lemon peel, reduce the heat and cook about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the peel with a slotted spoon and set aside.

4. Add 4 cups of sugar to the water, increase the heat and cook until the sugar dissolve, constantly stirring. Add the peel, boil about 1-2 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium low and cook for about 40 minutes, stirring from time to time.

5. Remove the peel out of the syrup with a slotted spoon and transfer it on to prepared cookies trays lined with a parchment paper.

6. Let it air dry for a couple of days. I am tossing mine from time to time to make sure it will dry well. If it feels dry enough, it's time to store it.

I am using a glass jar with a vacuum seal and storing my candied peel in the refrigerator. The leftover syrup can be used also so I just sealed it in jars and put it the refrigerator.

Vegetarian rice pilaf recipe

This vegetarian rice pilaf is such a great idea for a summer dinner. It's easy to make, light and low in calories. I started to make it this summer because I planted an Indian eggplant this year so I was looking for new ideas to cook using eggplant. The recipe is adopted from Turkish cuisine which I love. Also, this dish is compatible with the phase II of the South Beach diet.

The ingredients:

2-3 small Indian eggplants, approximately 1lbs

1 medium onion

1/4 cup raisins, chopped (optional)

2 Roma tomatoes

1 tablespoon salt

3 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup brown basmati rice (I like the Indian one from Trader Joe's)

2 1/2 cups water

salt to taste

 

How to make the rice pilaf:

Start with eggplant - trim and discard a steam end. Wash and chop it into small cubes and place in a colander. Sprinkle it with 1 table spoon of salt, toss to coat evenly and place the colander on a plate to drain.  

Cook the rice (wash it before cooking if needed). Place the rice in a pan, cover it with water and heat until boiling. Add salt to taste, reduce the heat to almost the minimum and cover with a lid. Cook until all the liquid will be absorbed. Remove from the stove and cover the pan with a clean kitchen towel.

Chop the onion into small cubes and cook them with olive oil over medium heat (use the large saucepan), about 5 minutes or until softened. Rinse the eggplant under running water and squeeze the liquid out of it by hand. Add them to the pan with onions  and cook together for another 5 minutes. Peel and core a tomato and chop into small cubes. Add it to the pan and cook all together for about 5 more minutes. If you'd like to use raisins in your pilaf, now is a good time to add them.

Add the cooked rice to the vegetable mix and gently mix all together, add more salt if needed. Heat the dish and spoon into a serving bowl or individual plates. 

Enjoy!

Cooking with herbs: Sage shortbread cookies

I sowed some herbs seeds in my garden last spring and we are getting a really great harvest this year. Sage, oregano, thyme, dill, basil and parsley are growing and seems to be happy. We are using some of them fresh and the rest we are drying or freezing.

I am also looking for some new ways to use them.

I found this savory sage shortbread cookie recipe in my magazine clipping and baked them. They are delicious and very rich, just as any shortbread cookie would be. I think they taste best when served chilled. Great to pair with a glass of wine!

 I made some changes to the original recipe in the process and I would like to share how to make them:

The ingredients:

1 cup flour

1 stick unsalted butter (113 gr), at room temperature

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 1/2 table spoon chopped sage leaves

1/4 tea spoon salt.

Mix together softened butter, cheese, salt and flour, add the chopped sage leaves. If the dough is too soft place in the fridge for about 30 minutes to harden. Roll your dough into small balls and flatten them with your palm to about 1/4" thickness. Place them on an ungreased cookie sheet, about 1" apart. Bake at 350' for about 20 minutes or until lightly golden.

They are not diet friendly but we all allow ourselves things like these from time to time, don't we? On a positive note, they are not sweet and made without sugar :) 

Pecan Pie recipe

I was trying to stay away from a sweets for a while but it is simply not possible. I am too weak :) Our favorite this Fall became a Pecan Pie, store bought and home made. Any way it's delicious and very sweet-tooth-satisfying.

The last one I baked was gone in a day and everyone is wondering, what actually is happened to the pie since each person had just a small slice?

I guess, no one can control their portion size these days :)

Here is the recipe if you'd like to make it at home.

Ingredients:

1 9" refrigerated Pillsbury pie crust

6 table spoons unsalted butter

1 cup maple syrup

3/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Place pie crust into 9" glass dish. Fill the pie shell with pecans.

Make the filing:

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, maple syrup and butter. Heat over medium heat until butter melts and remove from the heat.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs until frothy. Add vanilla and salt.

Gradually beat in hot syrup mixture, stirring constantly.

Pour the mixture into the pie shell.

Bake at 350'F for 1 hour. Let it chill and refrigerate overnight before serving.

Enjoy!

Eggplant garlic spread, Halloween style

This easy to make eggplant spread is a great example of how to transform the ordinary food into Halloween treat for your party. It is also a great vegetarian dish that is low in caries.

 

You will need:

2 eggplants

1 garlic bulb

sunflower or olive oil (I like to use the fragrant unfiltered sunflower oil purchased at the Russian food store),

lemon juice to taste

salt, pepper to taste

crackers or sliced toasted bread for serving

1 loaf of French bread

1 plastic  skeleton toy, thoroughly washed and dried, slightly longer than the bread. Do not use the toys with the small parts which can be easily detached!

Preheat oven to 400'F. Wash and pat dry the eggplant and garlic (do not peel). Wrap garlic in a piece of foil. Place vegetable on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Turn  the oven off and leave your vegetables inside until cool.

Peel the eggplant and garlic and place in a bowl. Blend your vegetables if you like a mushy texture or simply chop the eggplant and mush the garlic. Add salt, pepper, lemon juice and sunflower/olive oil to taste.

Now, let's decorate. 

 

I sliced my bread horizontally, scoop the soft insides and placed my skeleton into a bread. Then I filled the opening with chopped eggplant and garlic mixture and arranged the crostini around it.

Now it's even got a name, The Dead Man' dip! :)  Make sure the skeleton is visible so that someone would not bite into it.

Have a fun party!

Lemon Rosemary Chicken

Fall is here and it's time for comfort food! One of my favorite recipes is lemon rosemary chicken. We tried it during our Rotary International Exchange in UK and it is one of our favorites ever since.

 This chicken is best when served hot with fresh baked bread. Great family dinner which is easy to cook in one large cast iron pan. If you don't have one, use a frying pan to brown meat and vegetables and finish cooking in a large pot covered with a lid.

You will need:

8 chicken drumsticks and thighs, bone-in, skin on

1 medium onion, chopped

2 celery sticks, chopped

2 medium carrot, sliced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

6 slices of turkey bacon, chopped

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 rosemary sprig

6 to 8 potatoes, peeled and cut into 4 pieces

salt, black pepper

olive oil

 

Cover a bottom of you cast iron pan with olive oil and set your stove on medium heat. Add chicken and brown all over. Add onion, carrot, celery and bacon and continue cooking all together for about 10 minutes. Decrease heat if needed. Add potatoes and cook until it will brown evenly on all sides. Add chopped garlic, stir and cook for about 3 more minutes. Squeeze half a lemon on top of your meat and vegetables, add a rosemary sprig and seasonings. Stir, let it cook for about 5 more minutes, then add some water to cover your ingredients. Heat to boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and let it cook until ready, about 30 more minutes.

Enjoy!