Oh. my. god.

My mom was curious after I told her about one of my recipes, so I'm making a chuck roast for my parents tomorrow. 
At their house. 

Prepare for a storm!

Poached eggs in tomato sauce

This is one of those recipes that remind me of lazy days in the summer. My mom is lucky to do it with eggs from my grandmother's chickens and with tomatoes from her garden. As I live far away, I buy all the ingredients at the local supermarket. The taste is a bit different, of course, but the result is a big, juicy memory for prize.

Slice 2 garlic cloves and 2 onions and cook them in a hot pot with olive oil until they become soft. 

Then add the tomatoes. You can add the quantity you desire, depending on the number of people you are serving. I usually use about 6 tomatoes for 2. But don't forget: use only really ripe tomatoes. 

Keep cooking for a couple of minutes, add a pinch of salt, and then open the number of eggs you want to serve into the pot, so you can poach them - 1 per person is usually enough. Let it cook for about 15 minutes and this savoury dish without meat is ready to eat!

I always serve it with french fries or chips, which I dip in the sauce or use to carry it to my mouth. It's also great with bread slices or toasts!

Enjoy!

Marie biscuit cake - Quick and Easy for a surprise visit

This is one of those cakes you cake do quickly whenever you have surprise visits and which you can have over a nice cup of tea or coffee. 

Besides, it's great for kids, too. Oh, they'll tell you how much they love it!

Simply blend the margarine with the sugar with the help of a fork. There are no recommended measurements here. You can add more of one or the other to taste. 

Then add an egg yolk [or 2, if you're doing a bigger cake]. 

Then prepare a cup of coffee and add some water to it in a bowl. I usually use Nespresso Ristretto, but any other will be fine. 

Then you can start layering: dip the Marie cookies in the coffee, and put them on a plate in a "flower shape" [a circle of 5 to 6 Marie cookies plus 1 in the middle]. 

Spread the margarine/sugar/yolk mixture over the cookies with the help of a fork. Then dip more cookies in the coffee and put them on the others. Then spread the margarine/sugar/yolk mixture. Then... oh, well, I think you can guess what you'll do by now.

I usually serve it with just the margarine/sugar/yolk on top. You can sprinkle with anything you or your visits like: fruit bits, shredded almonds, chocolate chips... The choice is yours. 

Enjoy!

Almond Pie

This is one of the pies my mom used to bake when I was a kid. I loved the fact that it always made my friends' mouths water whenever I took one to a school party. It still is a party favourite. 

Mix 200g of flour, 100g of sugar, 125g of butter or margarine and 2 eggs. Then spread the mixture in a baking pan - preferably one with a removable bottom. 

While it bakes in the oven, prepare the topping in a cooking pot: melt 125g of butter or margarine with 100g of sugar and 4 tablespoons of milk. Then add 150g of sliced almonds and a couple of minutes later take the mixture out of the heat. 

When the pie is cooked, take it out of the oven and coat it with the topping. Put the pie back in the oven until it gets golden. 

Enjoy!

My Mac and Cheese recipe

I look for warmth everywhere. In my friends' smiles, in fun holidays, in a strong thank you, in delicious meals. If I'm lucky, sometimes I find a meal that feels like a big hug.

Boil about 250g of elbow macaroni in salted water.

While the macaroni is cooking, melt 2 generous tablespoons of butter (or margarine) with 2 tablespoons of flour. Pour 1 mug of milk and stir. Then add about 40g of parmesan powder and keep stirring. Finally, slowly add 150g of cheddar cheese and stir until it completely blends. Add the boiled elbow macaroni and stir again.

Pour into an oven-proof dish. Coat it with about 10 to 20g of parmesan powder. Some people use bread crumbs but I prefer the cheese.

Turn on the top part of the oven: you only want to make the mac and cheese golden and crispy. I usually let it stay for about 10 minutes, checking from time to time so it won't burn.

Enjoy!

Chicken Tikka, my way

I just love Indian food: the colours, the spices, the aromas, the flavours. In fact, some of the best memories I have include a couple of really fun dinners with friends at an Indian restaurant, which always come back to me whenever I have Indian food. Since there isn't any Indian restaurant nearby, all I can do is try and cook Indian-inspired food at home.

Pour 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a hot pan. Add 2 onions, roughly sliced. When they start to become golden, add a generous amount of tomato sauce - I prefer it seasoned with onion and garlic -, and stir. After a couple of minutes, add 3 teaspoons of curry and a pinch of salt. Finally, add the chicken breasts, cut in pieces. Let it cook in medium heat for about 15 minutes.

In a bowl, pour a yoghurt and the same amount of water. Add it to the pan and stir. Let it cook for another 10-15 minutes.

Serve with basmati rice.

Raspberry Mousse

With such a luscious colour and great health benefits, raspberries are usually a great ingredient for a trendy surprise dessert when you invite your friends over. And after the usual "Is this strawberry?" it's always fun to see their impressed expressions when you say "oh, no!, this is a special raspberry mousse".

First you mash 150g of raspberries. Then beat 200ml of cream and add 100g of sugar. Soak 3 gelatin leaves in cold water. Heat the raspberries in a pan and add the soaked gelatin leaves, mixing until they dissolve completely. Take the mixture out of the heat and incorporate the cream.

Divide it in individual bowls and leave on the fridge for a couple of hours. When it is set, decorate with raspberries and mint leaves.

Your friends with love it!