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Pancake day! 🥞✨

🥞✨How many pancakes have you managed to eat today already? Without lying please 🥞 ✨

I never make British “drop scones” pancakes but this year I’ve decided to give a go.

Personally I prefer the traditional big polish fat pancake than these tiny things, but reading few recipes and mixing the ingredients for them to perfect I’ve made few (yes made like 15 but only few are “photogenic” if you like haha)

Scroll down for the recipe 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

Ingredients for 10 or more :-

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups whole milk
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tablespoons butter melted

Method :-

  • Melt the butter , set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
  • Stir milk and egg together.
  • Pour the butter and milk mixture together well.
  • stir everything together until just combined. It will be slightly thick and lumpy, but should be well incorporated.
  • Heat a lightly oiled skillet to medium high heat.
  • Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake.
  • Cook each side for 3-6 minutes, until lightly golden brown.

Decorate with anything you fancy, – different kind of fruits, honey- maple syrup, lemon, nuts – anything you decide 🙂

EAT NOW and enjoy , don’t taste it! 🥞😍🥞😍

Homemade chicken broth with tagliatelle pasta 🍲

Another glory monday today in our small world of Scotland.. and instead of making some super duper fancy meal.. myself and my fiancé have optioned for the most simple and old school soup – which is basic homemade chicken broth “Rosół”

Why? Let me tell you..

There is nothing more comforting than the smell of homemade rosół cooking in the air. Especially at this time of year, when the seasons are changing, you need to strengthen your immune system the old fashioned way – with natural penicillin! 

Let’s get started, the sooner you find out the recipe the sooner you’ll be able to enjoy it 🙂

Ingredients for 2 portions :-

  • Whole chicken or pieces of chicken, however if you use whole chicken then you get all the good flavour and nutrients from the bones.
  • 1 onion, cut in halves
  • 4/5 carrots, peeled and cut in smaller sizes
  • 2 parsnips, peeled and cut
  • 1 large leek, cleaned and cut in smaller size
  • 1 large celery root
  • 4 cut size pieces of turnip
  • 4 cut size pieces of celeriac
  • Handful of tagliatelle pasta, cooked
  • 5 fresh black peppercorns
  • 5 bay leaves
  • 5 allspice berries
  • Salt (optional)
  • Chicken broth cube (optional) if not enough favour

Method :-

  • Add chicken to a large pot.
  • Cover with water
  • Bring to a boil and simmer for 1½ to 2½ hours, skimming any impurities off the top to ensure a clear broth
  • Add the sliced vegetables and spices for the last hour of the cooking time
  • If using, cook the noodles.
  • Serve soup with noodles and parsley if wanted

Smacznego 🙂

French brioche 🍞bread🍞

What’s a better way to start your day off than having home made French bread?

Yes it is time consuming but it’s worth it trust me! Just like any other bread really it does take time, well only if you want a good one. I’ll be honest I’m quite impatient person but when it comes to making different kind of bread I’m defiantly more than fine to wait for the end result, I’ve successfully made for other breads and I know from the experience that it all comes down to patience.

Honestly what I found is that recipe and making it made me a little bit intimidating, only because it was so sticky it really did get on my nervous 😂🤭 but how could it not be intimidating, after all it’s a French bread!! Right comes from the masters of pastry and bread?!

You probably admit it that brioche is quite a fancy bread right?

It is quite a handful yes, it requires two days of work, it’s sticky, no shortcuts- just patience, uses 6 eggs, yes 6 never in my life before I’ve used 6 eggs in a recipe but trust me it’s worth it!

Okay, you ready?!

Day 1

Ingredients :-

  • 6 eggs, need to be at room temperature
  • 230 g butter, also room temperature
  • 620g all purpose flour , divided into 4 sections
  • 9g active dry yeast
  • 50g granulated sugar
  • 8g salt
  • 120ml warm water
  • Sugar water – 2 teaspoons sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon water

Method :-

  • Take out 6 eggs and 230g butter dew hours before you are going to make this recipe, just so its definitely at the room temperature.
  • In a bowl of an stand mixer( use paddle attachment) mix together 1 cup flour (130g) with 9g active dry yeast, 130g sugar, 8g salt. Turn the mixer on and mix for few seconds until everything combined, add the 120ml of warm water. Mix all.
  • Now add 1 egg at time, it is important you do that, so it all mixes well. Make sure one egg is completely blended/mix until you add another one.
  • Set the mixer at the lowest speed, add 260g flour (2 cups) a 1/4 cup at time, take your time, because if you throw it all at once it will not combine as good as it has to, and also it will go everywhere. Turn the mixer off.
  • Now start adding the 23g butter, but don’t throw it all at once again, do it in small sections so the butter is incorporated with the dough well, same like with eggs and flour. Wait until all nice and smooth.
  • Set mixer to Low and now add the last 230g of flour, again 1/4 cup at time, the dough will be very thick and sticky when it’s done.
  • Use the plastic spatula to clean off the mixer paddle and scrap the dough off the sides of the bowl. Cover the dough with a plastic foil and let it sit in the room temperature for 2/3 hours.
  • After that time, punch and deflate the dough, and use the spatula again to get it off the sides of the bowl, cover again with a plate and place in the fridge overnight.

Day 2

NEXT DAY 3 HOURS BEFORE BAKING :-

  • Take the dough out of the fridge, and place on a slightly flouted surface, divide into 2 equal pieces. Shape them, and place them into its own loaf pan. It is a bit stiff to work with just because it has been in the fridge, so you can use rolling pin to help you with the shaping. Whatever shape you decide on make sure it fits into the loaf pan. I personally made a braid, but you can shape it whatever you want, totally up to you!
  • Cover each loaf with a plastic foil on top and let it sit for another 3 hours in a room temperature until the dough rises again.
  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

AFTER 3 HOURS

  • Once the dough is ready, bake it for 40 minutes in the center of the oven, if the top of the loaf is getting too crusty, top it with foil.
  • Once the dough is baking prepare the sugar water glaze, mix together water and sugar and place it on top of the bread as soon as you finishing baking it off, for the mice and shiny glaze on top of the brioche.
  • Let the bread sit in the loaf pan for at least 5 minutes before taking it out as you don’t want it to fall apart.
  • Once the bread cooled down, you can enjoy it still warm with some butter on top or few days later as good French toast 🤗
  • DJ

    • Kung Pao chicken .. with a twist..

    Today’s recipe is definitely not from European country as you can guess by the name, well I’ve traveled all the way to China and their cuisine today 🤪 ( still my dream to actually travel there one day)

    It’s a very easy recipe and quick, so if you don’t have any time on your during the week, then Chinese meals are the way to go, sweet & spicy 🥵 all you need huh, ready in less than 30 minutes..

    Ingredients for 2 servings :-

    • Boneless chicken, preferably breast
    • 3 cloves of garlic ( it usually say to mince it but I never do it takes all the flavour and taste away, so just crush it and chop few times)
    • Small piece of ginger, I don’t mince it either just chop in few smaller pieces
    • Green onion
    • Soy sauce
    • Cornstarch
    • Dried chilli pepper
    • Sesame oil
    • Roasted peanuts
    • Rice wine
    • Chinese black vinegar
    • Sichuan peppercorns
    • Sugar

    Method :-

    Prepare marinate first :-

    • In a medium bowl place -2 teaspoons soy sauce, 2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon sichuan peppercorns – mix all until cornstarch dissolved, cut the chicken into little squares and place in the bowl, make sure all the chickens covered, leave for at least 20 minutes.

    Sauce :-

    • In a medium bowl mix – 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar, half chicken stock, 3 teaspoons sugar, 3 teaspoons soy sauce, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon sesame oil.

    Method for the rest :-

    • In mean time prepare the rest, cut the dried red chillies, cut out the seeds etc out of them. In a medium frying pan put some sesame oil, switch the heating on and place Sichuan peppercorns And chillis on, switch off the heat and toss them in the oil for a bit, make sure you don’t burn the chillies.
    • Turn the heating back on, and add the chicken with the marinate, toss for few minutes.
    • Add the sauce*( instructions above) to the chicken and the rest of the ingredients, fry for few more minutes.
    • Add the peanuts and chopped scallions.

    Serve with rice 🍚🥘

    Raspberry french pastry twists

    🌸🌷🌺No caption needed for these guys, something aka french palmiers but not really, call them whatever you want, french pastry raspberry twirls even? .. all I can tell you they taste – pastry-licious! 🥐🥨🥮✨

    Ingredients guess how many?? Just 3 ingredients :-

    •already made puff pastry (or homemade one, I’m the person who do things from the scratch, so yes I made homemade pastry) but you can use bought one 🙂

    • fresh raspberries

  • • a lot of sugar

      • Cornstarch

    Easy peasy lemon squeezy 🍋

    Method :-

    • Preheat the oven to 215c degrees

    • Sprinkle the table with sugar, Roll out the puff pastry on the sugar,cover the puff pastry with some sugar on top,

    • On the side, in a medium bowl place the raspberries and mix them with some sugar, once mixed add some cornstarch and mix well, spread raspberries mixture all over the rolled out puff pastry.

    • Start folding the pastry by folding the right and left side to the inside, so the sides meet in the middle, sprinkle some more sugar, now fold the dough like a book again fold inside so they meet in the middle.

    • Cut the dough into 2cm length cookies, place on the tray and bake for 20 minutes.

    • Cool and enjoy 🙂

    DJ xo

    Fasolka po bretońsku – “Breton bean”

    🍜🥓 Nie ma to jak tradycyjna polska “Fasolka po bretońsku” ,nothing better than a bit of a Polish meal ”Breton bean” in English…

    I still remember when my mum used to make, and it used to be one of my favourite polish dishes, so easy yet so good.

    Ingredients for 2 portions :-

    • Canned white beans, canned cannellini beans,

    • 200g smoked thick bacon

    • 250 g of smoked polish sausage, I used “ślaska” (pork & beef smocked and scalded sausage)

    • 1 big onion

    • 3 garlics gloves

  • • 1 can of plum tomatoes & 1 tablespoon of passata Herbs – 4 bay leaves, 5 allspice, 2 tablespoons marjoram

    • Method :-

    • Cut the bacon into square cubes, place them on the medium skillet pan and fry for a little,
    • Take the bacon off, chop the onion & sausage, fry on the left over oil from the bacon, add the garlic ( don’t chop or grate the garlic, just crush and put whole) – keep on frying for another 3 minutes.
    • To the frying ingredients add the bacon & beans, fry for another 5 minutes.
    • Add the tomatoes and passata, add all the herbs – marjoram, bay leaves, allspice, ( salt and pepper – optional) – boil/ simmer for 10/15 minutes until nice and thick.
  • Serve warm with some bread :)

    • Gnocchi with smocked bacon and spinach ♥️🥓♥️

    Busy Monday? .. tell me what is your quick go to busy Monday dinner 🍴?!

    Mines favourite pasta in the world- gnocchi with smacked bacon and spinach! 🥓🥗🥓🥗 oh and not to mention I do like to use proper thick blocks of smocked bacon mm just imagine, personal opinion – way better than those thin cut out slices.

    Ingredients for 2:-

    • 4 thick cuts of bacon( cut into small square cubes)

    • 1 can plum tomatoes

    • 1 teaspoon sugar

    • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

    • 300g gnocchi

    • 2 handfuls of spinach

    • Parmesan grated & blue cheese grated…

    Method :-

    • In a medium sauce pan, pour some olive oil and fry the bacon until your own preference, add tomatoes, sugar, vinegar and sauté for few minutes on medium/high
    • Once that one, in the other deep pan, boil water with a pinch of salt, and cook gnocchi to the instructions on the package, until they’re done and are floating on the top of the surface
    • Add spinach to gnocchi. And stir for few more minutes add gnocchi and stir until the sauce becomes thick
    • Add grated Parmesan and blue cheese, either stir it to mix together or add at the end once serving.

    Enjoy 🙂

    Quick, delicious & easy – grilled blood pudding “Kaszanka” with apple and red onion.. 🍢🍎 and baked potatoes on the side.

    I think it’s time to star grill/ bbq season, with the weather being so nice outside, it’s only fair to do that 😀 the best is to eat that dish still warm with a touch of mustard or ketchup or simply on its own, as the apple juices make the sauce on its own. 🍎 you can make it either on the bbq grill or in the oven.

    Ingredients ( for one serving) :-

    • 1 blood pudding (kaszanka)
    • 1 medium apple
    • 1 red onion
    • Marjoram
    • Salt
    • Paprika

    Also,

    • Big potato (skin on)
    • Thyme
    • Basil
    • Butter
    • Garlic
  • Method :-
      • preheat oven to 200c degrees, cover blood pudding in a cling foil and place in a square oven proof dish, cut the apples and onion in a square sizes and place on each side of the blood pudding, sparkle with a pinch of marjoram, paprika and salt, seal the aluminium foil and place in the oven for 30/40 mins.
      Now potatoes, do the same with the square oven proof tin, and aluminium foil, place potatoes in the aluminium foil sprinkle with basil, thyme, place garlic on the side, and put some butter on top, seal the foil, place in the oven for 40/45 minutes depending on the size of the potato.

    Once all ready eat with mustard, on Its own or ketchup 🙂

    Yours,

    DJ xo

    Rhubarb meringue shortbread cake 🍰

    I’m liking to the thought of it being spring already🌷🦋🌺🌸😋🦋🌻 hence the idea of making this bitter, sweet, and crunchy cake 🌺🍒🌸🌷🦋🍰

    I know I know it’s just spring (4 days in) but this rhubarb meringue shortbread cake sounds very spring-ish would you agree? The rhubarb filling makes it all bit bitter and sweet at the same time! And the meringue.. well you can’t go wrong with this thick crunchy meringue on top of it.

    💐

    Ingredients for the shortbread bottom :-

    • 250g all purpose flour
    • 135g of butter
    • 100g of icing sugar
    • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
    • Pinch of salt
    • 1 tablespoon of sour cream
    • 4 egg whites

    Method :-

    • In a stand mixer, mix all together, knead for few minutes until well combined, wrap the dough in a cling foil and place in the fridge for around an hour.
    • Prepare square medium tin for baking later, spread butter & place baking sheet on top, preheat the oven to 180c degrees
    • When the dough is ready, place with your fingers all over the tin, put in the oven for 20 minutes.

    Ingredients for the filling :-

    • 500g rhubarb, chopped in a square sizes
    • Zest of one lemon
    • 3 teaspoons of cornstarch
    • 2/3 teaspoons sugar

    Method :-

    • Mix all the ingredients in a medium bowl, set aside

    Ingredients for meringue :-

    • 4 egg whites
    • Pinch of salt
    • 200g caster sugar
    • 1 teaspoon of potato starch

    *Remember all the ingredients for the meringue always need to be in a room temperature.

    Method :-

    • In a stand mixer, beat the egg whites until fluffy, add salt and keep on mixing, when the stiff peaks form start adding sugar, spoon by spoon, it should form stiff meringue mixture, add the end fold in the potato starch.

    Method for all :-

    • On the lightly baked base place the rhubarbs. Level the rhubarb, on top of rhubarb place the meringue mixture. Place in the preheated (180c) oven and as soon as it’s in reduce the temperature to 140c degrees, bake for around an hour, or until you see that the meringue is starting to brown a little

    Let it cool in the oven!

    Enjoy 🦋🌸🌻🌼🌷🌞🌺

  • Tomato soup with a touch of white wine and mango chutney?! 🍅🍾🍅

    You probably think what is this going, that doesn’t sound any good.

    So on Wednesdays I usually make soups for my fiancé as he plays football & apparently he needs something that settle good on his stomach.. 🙄

    like everyone else I do like the tomato cream soup (who doesn’t) etc but thought I’d make something different, I’m a basic kind of girl but when it comes to cooking, I’m no where near to be basic, I do like to experiment with my ingredients, mix and match and it always turns out into something good 👅😉

    Today I made tomato soup with a hint of mango chutney and white wine? Not sure if it does sound appealing however it does taste wonder if I’ll be honest, white wine as you know it’s bitter however the mango chutney it sweet so it goes together- and there you go voila!

    Want to see the recipe scroll down 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

    Recipe tomato, white wine & mango chutney soup :-

    Ingredients for 2 servings :-

    • 1 tablespoon of butter
    • 1 small onion
    • 1/4 cup of risotto rice ( arborio)
    • 1/2 cup white wine
    • 2 cups of chicken stock
    • 400g fresh salad tomatoes
    • 1 big squeeze of mango chutney
    • Fresh basil leaves (chopped)
    • 2 spoons of sour cream
    • 1 tablespoon passata
    • 2 carrots, 1 parsnip, (any other veg you fancy)
    • Grated Parmesan on top (optional)

    Method :-

    • In a small pan, sauté the butter and add the chopped onion, next add the rice, sauté for few minutes, add the white wine and chicken stock, peeled carrots and parsnip, cover and simmer for 15 minutes
    • Put the tomatoes in a pan and boil for few minutes until the skin starts to come off, peel of the whole skin from few tomatoes and blend in blender, pour into the soup, cut the remaining tomatoes and also place them in the soup.
    • Bring to boil, add mango chutney and boil for few more minutes, add the sour cream and chopped basil, if needed add some more salt and pepper, top with grated Parmesan

    Enjoy 💋