Racuszki

Little fluffy golden pancakes that are soft and chewy, while somehow still dense and filling. 

 Fried and perfectly smothered in sour cream, topped with jam or just sprinkled with icing sugar. Surprisingly, they are so easy to make!

You just need a little bit of patience to let the dough rise. 

Ingredients for a big plate of racuszki :

50 g of active yeast, 

3 teaspoons of sugar (or litttle more if you like)

2 cups whole milk 500 ml

2 spoons of plain flour

800-900 g of flour,
1 egg
pinch of salt
approx. 3/4 cup warm milk (we add it if necessary when the dought is too thick)

oil for frying

Optional: sour cream & your favorite jam

icing sugar

Warm up your milk, Add the yeast, flour and sugar. Whisk, and let it sit for 15 minutes.
In another bowl combine the egg, salt, flour, and once the yeast mixture has raised add it to the egg bowl and combine. Check the consistency. If it seems thick and tough to mix, add a little more warm milk. Cover the dought and let it rest in a warm place for 30 - 40 minutes.

 

Heat up a large pan and pour in a few tablespoons of oil. Once it is warmed up, turn the heat down to medium. Use a tablespoon to drop mounds of dought onto the pan. Don’t worry about the shape, there is no way to get perfect circles at first but they are so delicious you won’t care how they look. Once the racuszki are done, I place them on a paper-towel lined plate and immediately dust them with powdered sugar. Serve them with sour cream and jam if you wish, and make sure you try some while they are hot.

Love food, love sushi

Let’s celebrate the day of love in a Japanese way with these seriously tasty sushi rolls. Valentine’s can be a sweet day to spend with your significant other, or a nightmare if you are struggling with a new way to show your love every year!

Together with my other half we love to cook up something together. But when a special occasion appears he always wants to suprise me, especially that it is not so easy to surprise me. This time he did a great job. When I came to him, all that was necessary to prepare sushi was ready and I could wach him making sushi for us. All was beautifully served and tasted great. 

And how about you? Do you like when someone cooks for you something special and unusual ?? Or you prefer to cook yourself ? What was the most suprising dish that other person cooked or baked for you??

Homemade Croissants

Easy, quick to prepare and delicious croissants for small hunger.

I bet, that everyone, sometimes gets the feeling of eating something sweet, but you don't want to spend to much time in the kitchen. This croissants are excellent on a small hunger for sweets. You don't need to many ingedients, you don't have to spend lots of time in the kitchen and they are just delicious.

 Here's what you need to make these delicious croissants:

• 500 g of all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup of warm milk, but not hot
• 50 g of fresh yeast
• 200 g of  soft butter
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 5 teaspoons of sugar
•  2 eggs
• about 2 spoons of  sour cream
• for feeling : marmalade, jam, chocolate, whatever you want

STEP 1. Activating the Yeast

In a bowl, mix 1 spoon of the all- purpose flour with the warm milk, yeast and sugar, just until the flour is mixed evenly and you don't see any clumps. Set the bowl aside and let it rise for about 10 minutes.

STEP 2.  Making the Dough

Mix together the flour, soft butter along with the salt and eggs then add the activated yeast. Knead the mixture for a few minutes till it will be soft and won't stick to the bowl. Cover the bowl with a towel and let it rise for about 30-40 minutes. You can also put it to the fridge for 1 hour.

STEP 3. Cutting the Triangles and making croissants

We're getting closer and closer to those yummy croissants! Now the dough is ready to cut the triangles which will form the croissants.

Divide the dough into three or four parts (depending on how big croissants you want to get ). Roll out the dough into a circle and then just divide it with knife just like you would cut the pizza. In the wider part put the filling and then using both hands, roll the triangle into a crescent by rolling from the base up. Moisten the top of the croissants with milk or melted butter and bake for about 12-15 minutes in the oven  preheated to 190 - 200 degrees. 

Get Baking!

 

Gingerbred - My symbol of Christmas

Christmas time is one of the moments that everyone love. Family at one table, presents, gifts and lots of food!! When I was a kid I remember that I was waiting for christmas not becouse of the presents but I waited for the  smell of goodies coming out of my grandmother's kitchen. The smell of fried carp, dumplings with dried mushrooms, poppy seed cakes, cheesecakes, and of course sweet gingerbread - I love it.  I gathered with my mother, grandmother and sister in the kitchen to cook all the delicious food, to chat and laugh while working together. 

Of course the biggest fun was while decorating the gingerbreds. We always wanted cover them with lots of chocolate, frosting and colorful toppings. Of course some of them disappeared very quickly from the plate and my grandmother had to hide some for the christmas eve.

Now, I try to finde some free time before christmas and prepare some gingerbreds. I use an old Polish recipe for gingerbread therefore, I began to prepare the cake a month before Christmas.

During maturation the cake gets a deep aroma and distinc taste. The final result You can see in the pictures.

And what are Christmas for You? Is it a time when you just get some time off ?? or a time that You want to celebrate with your loved ones?

Olives, Wine and shipwrecks

Wherever You look - emerald sea and the blue of the sky - all cut with a sharp outline off-white rocks. Between them a small piece of whitening distant beach, and its wreck. 

Welcom in Zakinthos! 

 Next to Cephalonie there is a small and inconspicuous island - Zakinthos. This Island is more popular and better known as Cephalonia and that is why it's more commercial. The nature - without a doubt -  is one of the greatest strengths of this island . Carpets of blooming flowers, greenery which colors each, even the smallest corner, and deeply memorable views are some of the many details accompanying tourists during the exploration of the island.

 Zakynthos can not boast of too many monuments. Most were destroyed during the earthquake that struck the island in 1953. However the deficiencies of architectural and historical landmarks, compensates island's natural richness in various forms. Zakynthos impresses even from the windows of the plane, when welcoms you with green hills, torn in many places by the white rock, sloping towards the blue water.

Here is located one of the most famous views in the world - The Wrack Bay - the most photographed place in Zakinthosie, as well as one of the most famous beaches in the world. Every day thousands of tourists admire it from two viewpoints. The legendary bay attracts romantics with it's beauty, colors and water, as well as the cliffs which cut the flat surface of the sea. It is absolutely a must to visit the Wrack Bay while visting Zakynthos. Personally, I confirm that this is an outstanding place.

It would be a sin not to mention the most precious treasure of the island, which symbols you can see from the very beginning. The symbol of the island is Caretta Caretta turtle whose likeness we meet first at the airport. Then, the sympathetic pet accompanies us during the whole stay on Zakinthos. We encounter them on posters, billboards, T-shirts or roadside bazaars in the form of soft toys lounging lazily in the sun.

  
Another symbols of Greece are of course olives and olive oil . I felt in love with the taste of true and fresh olive oil. Belive me the taste of this olive is completly different from those which we can buy in our supermarkets. All you need is this amazing olive oil, freshly baked bread and a glass of wine and the feast is ready. And as for the wine, it is very specific for Zakinthos. On Zakyntosie wine are very dry and strong in flavor, but one type of wine I really enjoyed. It was naturally sweetened red wine: Avgoustiatis

Zakinthos offers not only wonderful views, excellent olive oil, wine and food. It is also a great place for those who are looking for fun and busy nightlife. Loud music, a whole row of bars and taverns along the beach and crowds  of people looking for good fun - all this you will find in Laganas. Laganas is the most famous place on the island for those who are seeking entertainment - surely you will not get bored here.

Zakinthos is a magic island. Despite its small size it has to offer a huge range of sensations. Whatever is your preferred way of recreation the island will reveal a whole range of possibilities.

Cephalonia - The Queen of Ionian Islands

Beautiful, unexplored, uncommon and not known very well among polish tourists. Cephalonia is the Island were I would like to run away - just for a while -  to forget about the rest of the world.

Today I would like to introduce to you - Cephalonia one of the most beautiful and greenest islands on the Ionian See. I didn't know what to expect from Cephalonia when I found out that I'm going to visit this Island in the end of september. In the guiedbook you can find lots of information about the island. You will read that it will enchants you with it's wild nature, charming beaches, romantic bays and remarkalbe calm. Well that's all true and anything can describe the amiazing views, green mountainsides and clean like a tear water.

Cephalonia is the best place when you want to slow down, to get some peace and rest, to enjoy every sip of excelent wine withou rush. Time slows down there the sun rays fill you with positive energy and the stunning view enjoy your eyes. This place is not very popular yet, what makes it unique. You can see the everyday life of ordinary Greek and meet the traditions of greek culture. The mass tourism has not distroyed this place so it has kept it's true face.

All photos which You see on my blog are made by me. I didn't have to put much effort to take a beautiful picture because the views there are astonishing. Cephalonia enchanted me with it's beauty
and tranquility. It is a place worth visiting. 

English Tea and the carrot cake

Each nation has it's traditions and customs. England can be associated with many symbols, but when it comes to cooking traditions and food, first comes English Tea, fish & chips and the carrot cake.

English pastries are completely different from our traditional polish cakes, cheesecakes and yeast-cakes. I grew up on my grandmother's cakes, baked according to traditional old Polish recipes which were sometimes very time-consuming but full of sweet teast, aroma and calories :)

English bakings are different. The cakes are simple, easy and quick to prepare and sometimes very sweet and full of chocolate. During my stay in London I had the pleasure to taste some specialties from which one I liked the most. Well I had to like it couse that was the favourit cake of my youngsters.

This carrot cake is an exceedingly good cake. It's delicious, it works and it's better than any other carrot cake I've tried. I normally bake this in a square or round cake tin.

Ingredients

•      2/3 cup of flour
•      1/2 cup of  sugar ( You can use white sugar, caster sugar or brown sugar)
•      1 teaspoon baking soda
•      3/4 teaspoon baking powder
•      1 teaspoon cinnamon
•      1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
•      1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
•      1/4 teaspoon salt
•      1/3 cup oil ( sunflower oil, canola oil )
•      2 eggs, beaten
•      1 cup chopped walnuts
•      half a cup of chopped, drained pineapple (canned or fresh)
•      1 cup grated carrots on a medium-mesh
  
   
  

  
  

  Let's do it

  Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
  In one large bowl beat together eggs with oil, if you want you can add vanilla extract for extra flavour.
  In other bowl mix  the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, sugar, salt and cinnamon, spices.
  Now just mix together the content of the two bowls and add carrots, wolnuts and pineapple, stir with a spoon. Scoop the mixture to prepered cake tin ( 20 cm, lined with greaseproof paper)
  Bake for about 40-45 minutes.
  
  
  

  Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 300 g creamy cheese ( in the original recipe is used philadelphia cheese but you can also use mascarpone instead, if you don't like the taste of philadelphia cheese) 
  •  6 tablespoons of butter at room temperature 
  •  1 cup icing sugar, sifted ( I used less, its up to you how sweet you want the cream)
  •  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    
    
  
  Mix all the icing ingredients together and spread generously over the top of the cake. Finish off with a sprinkling of chopped walnuts. 
  
  
  

  

  
  
  
  Now enjoy Your cake, it was easy - wasn't it?