#31 Painkiller

What do you eat when you are sick? Boring things? Me not. 

I make a cake.

I don't like much to take medicaments, but sometimes you have no choices, you have to.

But why not make it a piece of cake? Litterally...

As Mary poppins sings:

A Spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down

The medicine go down-wown

The medicine go down

Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down

In a most delightful way

I must say my coconut cake is working well for my flu along with paracetamol.

I have used:

150gr butter

150gr self-raising flour

150gr coconut flour

150gr sugar

3 eggs

vanilla

lemon skin

love

This is another cake I've made as a "pain killer" for healing muscle pains, while I was using also tiger balm.

Take care of yourself, not just in the body but overall lift your spirit. A nice food treat can help :-)

#30 Stay warm

It's autumn and winter is coming. The cold seasons ask for something warm to eat... a soup, maybe. But what about a slightly spicy and creamy soup?

Today I am going to follow an experienced cook blogger recipee, but I should thank my friend Rebecca for her advice (see instagram picture). 

Recipee from "Jessica in the kitchen" (I have done some screenshoots) 

Ready? 

 This was my first experience cooking with coconut milk. I must say I am always souspicious about "new" ingredient and its cooking time, but following instructions you can't be wrong! 
The soup should simmer 15 minutes after you add coconut milk.

Don't forget some bread slices to serve (I have also plenty of basil at home so I use it everywhere!)

Love lesson?

Stay warm each other.

#29 Learn from another culture

This lovely warm and pretty breakfast has been offered to me by my friend Virginia, a talented cake maker. She is an Italian living in London for some years, she has an English boyfriend and she is learning a lot of  British cookery.

On that Sunday morning Virginia has prepared some scones served with clotted cream and strawberry jam.

Recipee taken from this link:

Ingredients:

500g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

15g baking powder

100g caster sugar

100g salted butter, diced

250ml milk

1 medium free-range egg, lightly beaten

227g pot of clotted cream

200g good-quality strawberry jam

Method:
Sift the flour, baking powder and sugar into a bowl. Using just your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until it is no longer visible. Add the milk and mix well. Once it starts to come together, turn out on to a lightly floured surface and knead gently until it forms a smooth, soft dough.

Preheat the oven to 200C/fan180C/gas 6. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to 2.5 cm thick and cut into rounds with a 5cm cutter. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Brush the tops of the scones twice with the beaten egg.

Bake in the oven for approximately 15 minutes. Do not over-bake them or they will be dry. Serve warm with the Rodda’s Cornish clotted cream and strawberry jam.

Enjoy!

The love lesson is....Learn from other cultures. There are so many ways to see the world, do not be stuck on your own only. Learn and share, be open minded and you'll enjoy more life!

#28 Favourite!

This is my favourite chocolate cake! it contains hazelnut, a touch of coffee and pears!

Sorry! Recipee writing in progress

#27 Try and compare

Today I'd like to share not a recipee but a comparison I have made recently.

I have been told by my colleagues of this American breakfast called Peanut butter and jelly 

It is made of one or more layers of peanut butter and one or more layers of either jelly or jam on bread. Sometimes the sandwich is eaten open-faced or with one slice of bread folded over (effectively a "half sandwich". Because I often have a buttered toast with jam on the top for brekfast, I decided to try aso this american version and compare them in one day.

I choosed as bread a bagel made in NewYork, but actually bagel (Yiddish: בײגל‎ beygl; Polish: bajgiel), is a bread product originating in the Jewish communities of Poland!

Anyway I've spread peanut butter in half bagel (left) and butter in the other half (right).

I  swirled blackcurrant jam in both, and tried to see the difference.

I loved both :-) Regular butter is much lighter in taste, while the Whole Earth smooth peanut butter gives a salty touch to a sweet brekfast, which I don't dislike at all! Because I need to make a comparison, I'd say peanut butter gives me the impression i am eating too fat, so I would prefer the light flavour of normal butter. Sometimes is good to be naughty though!

Love lesson. try, compare, choose only in base your own taste.

#26 Think for tomorrow

I want to share this recipee which is very useful for a vegetarian dinner, and why not, also the day after's lunch! 

In Italy we call this "torta salata" which is "salty cake", or pie.

Ingredients:

olive oil

12 oz  mushrooms

4 cloves garlic (minced)

4 cups baby spinach

some cherry tomatoes

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 cup mozzarella or cheddar cheese (shredded)

1 puff pastry sheet

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°/220 C°/ Gas Mark 7

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, then add some olive oil with the garlic. Add the mushrooms, sauté 7 minutes, then add the spinach and sprinkle the salt and pepper over the top.

Saute for an additional 3-4 minutes, then turn the heat off and set the skillet aside.

Roll the puff pastry sheet out on to a large baking tray. 

Place first the cheese on the pastry, then the cherry tomatoes halves, and place the sauteed mushrooms and spinach all over on the top. 

Add some other cheese if you fancy it. If you have some pastry which has not been used (in the case the pastry is larger than the baking tray) you can do as I did (see the pictures), i.e. using patry to make some diagonals on the top. I've created also a rose with a leaf in the middle! :-)

Place into the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes.

This recipee is very tasty and simple in my opinion. Plus, it's very good for when you have someone coming for dinner, in fact a pie is always a dish easy to share in slices. As a single I appreciate the fact that, once prepared, I have got also food left for the day after, which is easy to carry to work too.

Basically using a puff pastry, you can change the filling ingredients, and you'll have other tasty dishes!

Enjoy in creating your own "torta salata"!

The love lesson today is: 

Love is like a salty cake: the base is the important thing which should not miss, and the ingredients you add that make it special to your taste. 

So please choose well and think for tomorrow, because such a big dish is going to last!

#25 Sacrifice/Pleasure

I was told by the doctor to eat just fresh raw vegetable for a while. So I was wondering, what can I eat instead of the boring raw plates with some bread? Suddenly, I got it!!!
I decided to go for an exotic dish: a Tabbouleh salad made with couscous!

250g couscous
Some tomatoes (any type)
One red pepper
Edamame Beans
half a cucumber
1 bunch spring onions or red onion, sliced
fresh parsley, (or also basil, mint)
grated zest of a lemon
6 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 crushed garlic clove

Prepare the couscous: Put the couscous into a large bowl. Pour over the boiling water or stock and stir. Cover with a plate or cling film and leave to stand for 5 mins until all the liquid has been absorbed. Separate the grains by roughing them up with a fork.

Cook the edamame beans in an hob with hot oil and garlic, for 2 minutes.

Finely dice thetomatoes and the cucumber. Slice the onions and finely chop the parsley, then add everything to the couscous with the grated zest of a lemon (or other spices you like: I added a touch of nutmeg).

Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice and the garlic with plenty of seasoning and drizzle over the couscous. Toss well and serve!

Our lesson:

sometimes you are given to do a sacrifice, but if you are not passive it can turn into a pleasure.

#24 Friends' influence

I have a young colleague, Rebecca, who is vegan and make tasty and creative dishes everyday, then posting them on instagram

(see: https://www.instagram.com/veganfoodboatfun/ )

She inspired me in making this dish with steamed broccoli, asparagus, feta cheese, tomatoes, avocado, olive oil...

and everyday sandwiches for lunch break, very similar in the appearence to tuna sandwiches, but using a chikpea filler with mayo and sweetcorn instead of tuna.

Friends influence our lives. Choice the ones can teach you the love for yourself and others.

#23 Take it easy

#22 Good start

Porridge time! I take care of myself from the beginning of the day with: positive thoughts, some yoga exercises and a freshmade porridge with fruits (mango, banana, pineapple, strawberries, blueberries...it depends on what I have in the fridge!), cinnamon, honey, chopped almonds and sometimes a touch of cocoa podwer and Chia seeds. Delicious, healthy, colourful!

Love yourself, otherwise you will suffer more when someone you care doesn't love you enough.

 I LOVE AND RESPECT MYSELF.

#21 Feeling at home

Looking at these ingredients an Italian would immediately guess what I am going to cook! Yes, PARMIGIANA ! One of my favourite dish, and one of the most loved in Italy.

To begin we need to slice two aubergines and leave them half an hour with some sea salt on the top. In this way they will lose a black water and their bitter flavour. Wash them again after the time is  passed. Then put them in the microwave for 7-8 minutes: in this way they'll become soft and half cooked.

Then prepare a sauce. I hope you know how to do. Very easy. Some garlic in the pain with hot oil, then add tomato sauce (or chopped tomato), salt, black pepper. Cook for 15 minutes stirring.

Now you have just to put in a baking tray a greaseproof paper and some tomato sauce on it as first layer. Then cover it with layers of aubergines, a layer of tomato again and some parmisan cheese (also mozzarella or cheddar can work well), then again...  layers of aubergines, tomato sauce and  parmisan cheese...continue like that until you have ran out all your ingredients.

Put into the oven for 30-40 minutes....................... Enjoy!

Doing something which bring you back to your cultural roots and home, make you feel at ease, accepted and well. It's certainly something to remember when you love someone and want to make a surprise.

#20 Constancy

Today I am taking care of myself. A nice rest at home sometimes is just what you need more. 

I have a warm cup of ginger tea beside me while I am writing, and a Tibetan music in the background. I have been recently to a meditation group nearby home, related to master Thich Nhat Hanh. Meditation gave me a positive effect of concentration and relaxation, and I appreciated overall the opportunity to meditate in company, with a sangha, a group of "noble friends". I hope to find a costancy in my meditation practice thanks to their support too.

My post today is related to the importance of constancy and company in doing things, in order to include it as part of your own personality. So I decided to make another baking: Chocolate Brownies! and offer again to my flatmate (who has been also inspired by me and want to bake too).

Let's start from ingredients (I used just half of these):

200 g quality dark chocolate (70%)

250 g unsalted butter

50 g chopped nuts , optional

80 g quality cocoa powder

65 g plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

360 g caster sugar

4 large free-range eggs

Ready?

1) Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Line a 24cm square baking tin with greaseproof paper.

2) Snap the chocolate into a large bowl, add the butter and place over a pan of simmering water, until melted, stirring regularly. Stir through the nuts (if using).

3)Sift the cocoa powder and flour into a separate bowl, add the baking powder and sugar, then mix together

4) Add the dry ingredients to the chocolate, nuts and stir together well.

Beat the eggs, then mix in until you have a silky consistency.

5) Pour the brownie mix into the baking tin, and place in the oven for around 25 minutes.

Allow to cool in the tray, then carefully transfer to a large chopping board and cut into chunky squares. 

Enjoy and Share !
Our loving kindness need practice.