Fall(ing) for summer

Hi there guys! Everything all right?

It seems as if summer had decided to come back for a few more days (for a last good-bye?)!

So, although I wanted to celebrate the first ones of my beloved autumnal signs such as chest nuts, pumpkins, spices and coloured leaves, I decided to create a last but fantastic food-hommage towards summer (who actually wasn't part of my life very much these holidays).

Guys, some time ago I already told you about the perks of being a flight attendant's daughter. I could make use of those advantages once more this weekend. My Mom had gone to a lovely market during her stay in Boston and brought me the most beautifully coloured veggies!

As I have got quite a lot of homework to do for my Geography studies (Thanks, Mrs. human geography!), I will not get chatty today and just give you this superhealthy, refreshing, colourful and summery recipe I created for you yesterday (already looking forward to autumnal menus in my heart):

Garlic-Moghrabieh-Couscous with summery veggies, Kale, Limes and Peppermint

Ingredients (4-5 people)

230 g Moghrabieh (pearled couscous)

270 g couscous100 g prosciutto crudo

4 tablespoons butter

8.5 dl bouillon

4 handful peppermint

4 limes

2 lemons

4 handful basil

4 handful baby kale

6 colourful tomatoes

4 mini aubergines

2 yellow zucchini

1 dl olive oil

8 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons cane sugar

salt, pepper

Preparation:

1. roughly slice veggies, 1 lemon and 2 limes and mix with olive oil, 2 pressed garlic cloves, salt, pepper, 2 handful of peppermint, 2 handful pf basil and cane sugar, spread on a baking sheet

2. melt 1 tablespoon butter in a pot, add 6 pressed garlic cloves and pearled Couscous and roast until golden brown, add Bouillon and juice of remaining limes and lemon and let simmer for 5 minutes

3. in the meantime, put veggies in the oven, roast on 220° for 15 minutes

4. After 5-7 minutes, add Couscous to pearled Couscous and turn down the heat, stir well and add kale, peppermint, 3 tablespoons of butter and basil

Serve veggies and Couscous all together and enjoy this summery meal!

summer self-made

Hi there guys!

Today's the first day of a new semester at University and guess what: I woke up one hour too early! I must be really loooking forward to this!

Well, actually I am. However, I guess this means that I will not be able to create time-consuming recipes like the one I brought about today for a long time coming. Instead I'll be writing papers, presentations and essays. Yeah.

Be prepared for alphabet soup instead!

So as I enjoyed my last free week, I have decided to make pasta all by myself. Now you should know that I have done so many times before (without a pasta machine, for I do not see why I should pay half a fortune for things like that) and, actually, the result resembled everything from dry, water-cooked bread to slimy worms. Is she exaggerating again? No, unfortunately she isn't.

But this time, baby,..............It worked! And how well it worked (sorry for self-complimenting me). I may proudly announce that I have finally been able to create an easy and enjoyable pasta recipe which does not at all require pasta machine!

Celebrate with me guys!

So what have I got for you today? I did not prepare any pasta for you, that would have been boring, wouldn't it? Instead, I teamed up with my spices and I prepared a:

Yellow-Curry-Pasta with Tomato-Pepper--Thaibasil-Cumin Sauce

ingredients (4 people)

4 eggs

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons water

375 g spelt flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon yellow curry powder

*****

2 violet peppers

3 large tomatoes (I took a special, orange-coloured species)

2 garlic cloves

50 g butter

1 large onion

1 tablespoon Cumin

1 teaspoon yellow curry powder

2 handful of thai basil

preparation:

1. mix eggs, flour, salt, curry powder, olive oil and water to a sticky dough (add water or olive oil if too dry) and work well

2. spread a lot of flour on a large table (you will definitely need the space) and roll out half of the dough about 0.5 mm thick (it must be really thin!)

3. spread flour on the dough and roll it together carefully. then cut off slices of about 1cm (see picture) and unfurl carefully. Continue like that and put the finished noodles on baking sheets (or where ever it works best for you)

4. bring water to a boil, in the mean time, melt butter and slice peppers and tomatoes

5.  roast onion, curry powder and cumin in the melted butter, then add tomatoes and pepper and, last but not least, pressed garlic cloves, let simmer

6. cook pasta for 4-5 minutes, add some butter before serving in order to prevent them form sticking together

7. add thai basil and salt to sauce and finally ENJOY!

SEE YOU GUYS! wish me luck for my papers and stuff ;-)

eat me raw

Pretty erotic blog-title today, right? Hi there, people!

I got up pretty early today (which is very unusual on sundays) in order to go to a local, special organic food market. And, as you might already be guessing, I got home with shiploads of extraordinary tomatoes, tiny little cucumbers, colourful beet roots and peppers as well as tastily blushed apples! Have a look:

This huge amount of healthy raw food is especially calming because the "I-can't-take-no-sweets anymore"-phase I told you about lately has come to a very quick and painless end yesterday. My lovely sister has prepared even lovelier Pecan-Caramel-Chocolate-Drops, also known as my dignified surrender.

But, hey, at least I still work out hard! Which however always makes me so proud that I reward myself even harder, but never mind.  

As I also love healthy and fresh food apart from sweet stuff, I made a quick stoppover at "raw-food-station" today.

The recipe I brought along today includes a vegetable I, well, how do I say that nicely,....have always disliked very much: beet roots. I have tried them in a million (at least!) different ways but just could not make friends with their earthy taste. Anyways, I could not resist the beautiful species they sold at the market today: Chioggia-beet roots. So I decided to give them another chance and, in proud company of tiny, tiny, tiny little cucumbers, made this beautiful, superhealthy raw lunch for you today:

beetroot and cucumber-mozzarella salad with cumin-garlic-basil paste

ingredients:

1 Chioggia beet root

8 mexican mini-cucumbers

300 g of mozzarella

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons balsamic

1 handful of basil

1 tablespoons of cumin

1 teaspoon coarse salt

2 garlic cloves, pressed

preparation:

1. Grind salt, cumin, basil, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and pressed garlic cloves in a mortar, then mix with the rest of the oil and balsamic

2. peel beet root and slice finely

3. slice mozzarella and cucumbers 

4. put all ingredients on a plate and dress with cumin-garlic-basil paste

ENJOY this raw, healthy superlunch!

herbal essences

Good afternoon, people!

How are you? I am, to be honest a bit, (okay no, completely!) absent-minded at the moment. And I don't even know why. I just see the results in my kitchen. You would not have wanted to be my guest today. I will not tell you about all my failures, but this one just has to be told: After having mixed a (seemingly lovely) cherry-honey-milk smoothie this noon, I couldn't find the lid of the milk bottle. Later we did find it, torn into thousand pieces, IN the smoothie itself. I mean, gosh, I really mixed that thing INTO the smoothie! Why?!

Well, anyways, the recipe I have got for you today was created on Friday, so, it should be okay (hopefully more than okay, but pretty special, though). And, good news, there's no milk (lid) to be added.
I had decided to finally use all the wonderful herbs that are growing in our little garden, have a look:

Ricotta-Lavender-Cumin Spread with Pesto-Bread (cool rhyme, isn't it?)

ingredients:

500 g spelt flour

10 g salt

20 g fresh yeast

3.25 dl warm water

5.5 dl olive oil

2 handful salvia

3 handful basil

1 handful origano

1 garlic clove

50 g pine nuts

*****

250 g ricotta

1 hanful fresh lavender

1,5 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 tablespoon vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 garlic clove

preparation:

1. Mix flour and salt, dissolve yeast in water

2. add yeast-water and 0.5 dl olive oil to flour and work well, let rise for 90 minutes

3. Mix 0.5 dl olive oil with 1 pressed garlic clove, pine nuts. salvia, basil and origano in a cutter

4. roll out bread dough, spread pesto on it and form your bread as you prefer, bake for 30 minutes on 190°C

5. meanwhile, mix ricotta, lavender, olive oil, vinegar, pressed garlic clove, cumin and salt in a cutter, too

6. take bread out of the oven and enjoy warm with some ricotta-spread!

 SEE YOU GUYS!

when it comes to the crunch

Good afternoon, guys! Having a nice weekend?

Between writing a paper for university (not cool), doing some side jobs (well, yay, not broke anymore) and looking forward to my 21st brirthday (super yay!!!) I finally found the time to create something new for you. Some crunchy stuff, actually. 

At the moment I often sit in front of my computer for a pretty long time (exactly, for the aforesaid paper and other distracting stuff). When I am done with that, I am suprisingly successful at pushing myself to do some sports (which is a pretty big deal for me) and then, when I finally get home, it is the little things that make me the happiest person alive: putting off my shoes, making myself an iced coffe and a little snack, gathering my beloved ones around me and getting a last glimpse of the evening sun (as long as there is any, sigh).

So, to celebrate the fine little things life offers, I created a snack which conveys that mood perfectly. A snack which forces you to take some time, sit down and relax, enjoy, be happy.

Here it is:

Hazelnut-Rose-Coconut Cantuccini

ingredients:

220 g flour

50 g coconut flour

75 g maple juice

3 eggs

3 tblsp. rose water

150 g raw cane sugar

150 g Hazlenuts

1,5 teaspoons baking powder

preparation:

1. preheat the oven on 160°C 

2. mix all ingredients well, form a lengthy roll of about 4 cm height 

3. bake for 40 minutes

4. let cool down, then slice (about 0.5 cm thick) and bake for another 10 minutes

ENJOY with some fresh (iced) coffe!

See you, guys!

a little something: birthday meal companions

Hi there guys!

Two days ago, my mum celebrated her 51st Birthday and, as you might be guessing already, it was a very great pleasure for me and my sisters to prepare a special birthday meal. Today, however, I am not going to post that meal, for I think you all have your own favourite birthday meals, don't you?

Instead, I have brought along some ideas which might be a nice "add on" to your or your beloved ones' favourite birthday meals. I think that there are two things that are almost as much important as the meal itself: the drink and the (sweet) decorations.  

So as my Mum does not really like alcohol and as she loves sweets, my task, next to cooking a light summer meal, was clear: create a refreshing non-alcoholic drink AND don't forget the sweets (which ideally should be ice-cold and eaten immediately, considering the temperatures).

The two recipes I am posting today have got the advantage that they look like "oh so much effort" but actually do not take you a lot of time to prepare them.  

Have a look:

Cassis-Lemon-Rose Drink

ingredients (4 L)

150 g cassis berries

2 tablespoons dried rose blossoms

2 tablespoons rose water

150 g raw cane sugar

2 lemons, juice

0.5 dl water

ice

1. bring everything to a boil and let simmer for 25 minutes

2. sieve and mix with 4 litres of water and ice, refridgerate

*****

Rose-Almond-Chocolate Drops

ingredients (12 pieces of 4 cm) 

200 g milk chocolate (or any chocolate you like)

2 tablespoons rose water

1 1/2 tablespoons almond butter

2 tablespoons butter

12 almonds

some dried rose blossoms

1. melt chocolate, rose water, butter and almond butter slowly in a pan

2. put a baking sheet on a plate and put chocolate drops on it (about 1 tablespoon per drop, or as much as you like, depending on the size you want to have them)

3. immediately top with rose blossoms and 1 almond per drop

4. freeze for 45 minutes, enjoy immediately

See you guys and happy birthday to everyone who is celebrating today!

refreshing, colourful "threesome": creamy, summer-scented frozen yogurts

Good evening, guys! 

Summer is returning! I have already prepared myself for a rainy, wet, chilly summer, but, good news, I will not have to spend the rest of my semester holidays at home with a cheesy skin-colour. Instead, I, well, all of us, will have to get prepared for hot temperatures. And I am here to help you, guys. See what I brought along:

After having seen the weather forecast for next week, I did not only have the impulse to prepare some frozen yo'. No, I actually had the impulse to prepare loads of frozen yo'. With refreshing, colourful, summery ingredients. So I took a quick look at our supply (which was astonishingly manifold) and let the cookery-addict-part of my brain work to finally come up with:

* Blackberry-Rose-Frozen-Yogurt

* Lime-Peppermint-Lemon-Balm-Frozen Yogurt

* Honeydew-Melon-Lemon-Orange-Frozen-Yogurt

I have just tried them and my favorite flavour is definitely Rose-Blackberry. Not only due to the colour, of course. However, I'd say that Peppermint-Lime-Lemon-balm is the most refreshing one. You might like to prepare all frozen yogurts at once (If you have guests that might be a good idea, so that everyone can find their favourite flavour). Or you might like to test just one version. If so, you would have to divide the frozen-yo-basis by three. 

Ingredients and Preparation (for three tupperwares of 20x10 cm):

* Frozen-Yogurt-Basis

700 g greek yogurt

2,5 dl cream

300 g raw cane sugar

2 egg whites

1. Mix Yogurt and raw cane suagr

2. Whisk stiff egg whites and cream

3. Mix carefully and divide into three portions

__________

* Lime-Peppermint-Lemon-Balm-Mix

2 handful peppermint

2 handful lemon balm

4 tablespoons raw cane sugar

2 Limes: zest and juice

1. put all ingredients in a cutter and blend well

2. Mix with one third of frozen-yo-mix and freeze for 5 hours

__________

* Blackberry-Rose-Mix

150 g fresh blackberries

6 tablespoons raw cane sugar

5-6 tablespoons rose water

1. Blend all ingredients well in a mixer

2. Mix with one third of frozen-yo-mix and freeze for 5 hours

__________

* Honeydew-Melon-Citrus-Mix

1 orange: zest

1 lemon: zest and juice

 2/6 honeydew melon

1. finely slice melon

2. Blend all ingredients in a mixer

3. Mix with one third of frozen-yo-mix and freeze for 5 hours

If you should have too much of the flavor-mixes, just put the rest into the fridge. It tastes awesome with fresh yogurt or some muesli.
If you would like to prepare a skinny version of it:

1. leave away 50-100 g of sugar
2. leave away cream and take 200 g more yoghurt

ENJOY!

Blackberry-Rose

Honeydew-Melon-Citrus

Lime-Peppermint-Lemon-Balm

SEE YOU GUYS! 

xoxo, Florence

save the pasta for last

Buonasera a tutti!

Do you already smell tempting italianità by looking at this picture? I hope so!

Whenever I had a hard day, I kinda really feel like eating pasta. Always. And I can tell you: It's a pretty good compensation for whatever has happened during the day. First of all: it always works. secondly: it is easy to prepare (except for me, for I always boilover that damned stuff, but I got faith in your abilities...). Thirdly: You can do whatever you like with it (as long as you PLEASE do not add chocolate sauce or mix it with other carbohydrates or something weird! But I have also got faith in your common sense and your love for pasta).

So, given the fact that I had my last, but also hugest University-exam in geography today: guess what I had for dinner? Pasta, yeah! And as it was pretty hot today I had that version of it:

Tepid Penne-Salad with Chicken-Breasts, grilled Veggies and Tomato-Olive-Herb-Dressing

ingredients (6 people)

750 g Penne

250 g pelati

1 zucchini

1 eggplant

400 g chicken breast

200 g dried tomatoes

3 garlic cloves

175 g olive paste

1 handful fresh origano

1 handful fresh thyme

2 handful fresh basil

1,5 dl olive oil

0.5 dl balsamico

salt, pepper

preparation:

1. bring water in a large pan to a boil, add chicken breasts and cook well, then put aside, but in fine slices or cubes and add some pepper

2. preheat a pan with 0.5 dl olive oil, finely slice zucchini, dried tomatoes and eggplant and roast well, put aside

3. after having taken out the chicken breats, use the water for the Penne to cook

4. mean while, blend pelati, olive paste, rest of olive oil, pressed garlic cloves, balsamico, thyme, basil, origano, salt and pepper in a cutter

5. Mix everything and stir well

Buon appetito!