First Food Bloggers Conference

Today I attended my first Food Bloggers Conference... and it was amazing: the opportunity to see and meet some of the food bloggers that I followed for years, to learn some new tricks for food photography, and just to hang out with some amazing people.

Hearing Mazilique's funny stories or meeting Cookie Jar were the highlights..
And I was quite impressed with Lidl, no wonder is my favourite supermarket to shop.

What can I say: it's a great beginning, to many more from now on!

The Script - No Good in Goodbye

Hey, no kissing!

Carrot cake Geami style

Hmmm, carrot cake? No chocolate? No way I'll eat it...

But I've tried one slice in Berlin and I totally looved it, so I decided to give it a try.

And the result?

Amaaazing! It's one of my favourite cakes now.

Thank you Geami from Cooku-Bau for the recipe.

For the cake: 100g pecans, 125g flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt, 200ml Vegetable Oil, 100ml milk, 30g butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 4 large eggs, 200g sugar, 500g carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

For frosting: 225g soft butter, 450g cream cheese, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 250g caster sugar

Preheat oven to high power. Coat with baking paper two round shapes, about 22 cm diameter.

Fry pecans in a pan without oil. Let them cool and then finely grind them.

In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, mix well with a whisk the vegetable oil, 30g butter, the milk and vanilla extract. Using a mixer, beat the eggs well with sugar for 5 minutes. Add liquid ingredients and continue to mix. Add flour mix and mix gently. Add carrots and nuts. Share composition in two, between the two pans, and bake it on medium heat for 1 hour. Allow dough to cool in molds for 30 minutes.

Prepare the frosting. With a mixer, mix well at higher speed, cream, butter and cheese, for 5 minutes. Add vanilla and powdered sugar, continuing to mix at low speed until smooth. Then increase the speed and mixed for an additional 3 minutes.

Mount cake. Put one of the cakes on a large plate. Pour over it the cream cheese mixture. Put the second cake on top and pour the remaining cream cheese. Decorate with nuts and leave it in the refrigerator at least one hour before serving.

Pfannkuchen mit Champignon-Rahm-Füllung

125 g flour, 250 ml milk, 3 eggs, 1 pinch of salt, 300 grams mushrooms, 1 leek, 1 apple, 2 slices of ham, 10 g butter, 100 ml water, 150 ml cream, sweet, 1 sachet MAGGI fix Rahm-Champignons, 50 g cream, sour, 3 tablespoons THOMY sunflower oil

Make the pancakes from flour, milk, eggs and salt. Fry them in oil.

For the filling, fry the ham cut into cubes, add the mushrooms cut into slices, the leek cut into rings and the shredded apple. Cook for about 10 minutes. Add the water and cream, and the Maggi mix. Bring to a boil, then add the sour cream.

Fill the pancakes with this mixture and serve. 

Rea Garvey - Oh My Love

Turkish carrot salad

4-5 grated carrots, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 150 gr greek yoghurt, a clove of garlic, salt, pepper, sumac

Fry the grated carrots in oil about 10 minutes and then mix with the greek yogurt, a clove of chopped garlic, salt, pepper and a little sumac. 

Easy peasy and soo tasty....

Kokos-Pudding-Törtchen

2 egg whites, 5 tablespoons sugar, 200 g grated coconut, 1 packet of custard powder "chocolate" (for cooking; for 1/2 l milk), 1/2 l milk, 50 g dark chocolate, 8-24 paper baking cups

Beat the egg whites with 2 tablespoons sugar and the grated coconut. Put 3-4 tsp of coconut mix in the paper cups press down evenly on the bottom and the top.

Place the paper cups on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven (electric oven: 200 ° C / air circulation: 175 ° C / gas mark 3) for about 10 minutes and let cool.

 Make the pudding with the rest of sugar and milk according to the package instructions.  Remove the pot from the stove. Chop the chocolate coarsely and fold it into the pudding. Pour the hot pudding into the baked coconut molds, allow to cool.

Xavier Naidoo - Hört, hört [Official Video]

Pineapple, beef & ginger stir-fry

400g rump steaks, thinly sliced, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp soft brown sugar, 1 tbsp chilli sauce, 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 2 tsp vegetable oil, thumb-sized piece ginger, cut into fine matchsticks, 4 spring onions, cut into 3 cm lengths, 200g pineapple, cut into chunks, handful coriander leaves, to serve, rice and greens, to serve (optional)

Mix the steak, soy sauce, sugar, chilli sauce and vinegar together, and set aside for 10 mins.
Heat a wok with 1 tsp of the oil. Lift the steak from the marinade and sear, in batches, then remove. Add a bit more oil and fry the ginger until golden. Add the spring onions and pineapple, and return the steak to the pan. Stir to heat through for 1 min, then add any remaining marinade. Keep stirring until the marinade becomes thick and everything is hot. 

Serve sprinkled with coriander, and with rice and greens, if you like.

Nasi goreng with poached eggs

This is one of my favourite rice dishes:

olive oil, 2 red chillies, shredded, 4 shallots, finely sliced, 1 garlic clove, finely chopped, 1 large carrot, peeled and julienned, 150 g chestnut mushrooms, sliced, 250 g ready-cooked basmati rice 250g, 2 tbs brown sugar 2, 1 tbs soy sauce, 2 tbs Asian chilli sauce, plus extra to serve, 1/2 small bunch coriander, chopped, 2 eggs, poached or fried to serve

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large non-stick pan or wok. Cook the chilli, shallots, garlic, carrot and mushrooms for 3-4 minutes. Add the rice and cook for another 2 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks. Mix the brown sugar with the soy and the chilli sauce until dissolved, then stir through the rice. Stir in the coriander.
Divide the rice between two bowls then top each with a poached or fried egg and sprinkle over more chilli sauce.

Griddled Aubergines with Feta, Mint and Chilli

Thank you Nigella for this super easy and tasty recipe...

2 large aubergines (each cut thinly lengthwise into about 10 slices), 4 tablespoons olive oil, 250 grams feta cheese, 1 large red chilli (finely chopped & deseeded or not depending how hot you require it), 1 bunch fresh mint (finely chopped - save some for sprinkling over), juice of 1 lemon, black pepper

Preheat the barbecue or griddle to a high heat.
Brush both sides of the aubergine slices with the oil, and cook them for about 2 minutes each side until golden and tender.
Crumble the feta into a bowl and stir in the chilli, mint and lemon juice and grind in some black pepper. You don't need salt, as the feta is salty enough. Pile the end third of each warm aubergine slice with a heaped teaspoon of the feta mixture and roll each slice up as you go to form a soft, stuffed bundle.
Place join side down on a plate, and sprinkle with a little more mint. 

 

Creamy pancetta, Brie and mushroom croissants

25g butter, 70g cubed smoked pancetta, 1 finely sliced garlic clove, 250g halved chestnut mushrooms, 100ml dry white wine, 75ml double cream, the leaves of a few fresh thyme sprigs, 2 all-butter croissants, 100g bite-size pieces of ripe Brie

Melt 25g butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add 70g cubed smoked pancetta and cook for 3-4 minutes, until golden. Add 1 finely sliced garlic clove and 250g halved chestnut mushrooms, increase the heat and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until just softened. Add 100ml dry white wine and bubble for a few minutes until evaporated. Reduce the heat, stir in 75ml double cream and the leaves of a few fresh thyme sprigs. Simmer for a few minutes until thickened. Season to taste. 

Meanwhile, preheat the grill to high. Split 2 all-butter croissants. Put on a baking tray, cut side up, and grill for 1 minute, until toasted. Set the tops aside. Spoon the creamy mushrooms onto each base, scatter with 100g bite-size pieces of ripe Brie, and grill for a further 2 minutes, until the Brie is melting. 

Assemble the croissants again and serve hot, scattered with extra fresh thyme sprigs.

The Script - Superheroes

Yey! The new Script video is here. Can't wait for for the album :D

Lauwarmer Linsensalat mit Johannisbeer-Joghurt-Dressing

200 g Lentils, 150 g whole milk yogurt, 2-3 tbsp redcurrant jelly, 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, Salt and pepper, 100 g Babysalatmix, 2 Wieners, 1/2 bunch of chives, 2 carrots, 2 sticks of celery

Cook lentils in 1 liter of water for 35-40 minutes. 

Mix the dressing: yogurt, jelly and vinegar, season with salt and pepper.

Wash the lettuce, cut sausages into slices, chop the chives.

Peel, wash and finely chop carrots. Clean, wash and cut into thin slices the celery. 

Mix all the ingredients of the salad and serve warm.

Möhren-Ingwer-Suppe mit Nordseekrabben

800 g carrots, 1 onion, 80 g ginger, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 heaped teaspoon curry powder, 1 liter of vegetable stock, 1/4 bunch of chives, 100 g North Sea crab meat, 150 g whipped cream, Salt, Pepper
 

Peel the carrots, wash them and cut them into large pieces. Finely dice the onion and ginger root. Melt the butter in a pot. Sauté the onion in it, sprinkle with curry. Add the carrot pieces, also sauté. Add ginger and pour in the broth, bring to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes. Pour the cream and puree the soup. Add the chopped chives and the crab meat. Season with salt and pepper.

Revolverheld - Ich lass fur dich das Licht an

Now that's a great proposal ....

Molten chocolate hearts

The easiest recipe for the tasties result:

200 g bitter chocolate, 85 g butter, 3 eggs, 60 g powdered sugar, 40 g flour

Break the chocolate and melt it with butter in bain-marie.

In a double boiler whisk the eggs with sugar, add the flour and at the end the chocolate mix. 

Pour the mix in 6 silicone cups and put them for 30 minutes in the fridge.

15 minutes before serving, heat the oven at 200ºC, and bake the cake for 7-9 minutes.

Serve them with icecream or a raspberry sauce.

Sweet pickled chilli and lime ribs

Lick your fingers delicious :D

Thanks to Donna Hay for this amazing recipe!

8 coriander (cilantro) stalks, 6 kaffir lime leaves, 1 brown onion, quartered, 2 limes, sliced, 1 x 6cm-piece (30g) ginger, sliced, 2 tablespoons table salt, ½ cup (125ml) white vinegar, ½ cup (110g) white sugar, 2.5 litres water, 2kg (4 racks) American-style pork ribs
Sweet pickled chillies: 10 long red chillies, chopped, ¼ cup (70g) table salt, ½ cup (110g) white sugar, 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger, 1 tablespoon finely grated lime rind, ¼ cup (60ml) lime juice, 2 tablespoons white vinegar, ½ cup (125ml) kecap manis 

Place the coriander, lime leaves, onion, lime, ginger, salt, vinegar, sugar and water in a large saucepan over high heat and bring to the boil. Add the ribs, reduce the heat to medium and cover with a lid. Simmer for 30–40 minutes or until the ribs are tender. 

While the ribs are cooking, make the sweet pickled chillies. Place the chilli in a bowl, sprinkle with the salt and stand for 5 minutes. Transfer to a colander and rinse off the salt. Place the chilli, sugar, ginger, lime rind and juice and vinegar in a small food processor and process until finely chopped. Add the kecap manis and stir to combine. 

Carefully remove the ribs from the cooking liquid and place in a large deep-sided tray or dish. Pour over the chilli mixture and rub evenly over the ribs to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes until cool, or overnight. 

Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F). Place the ribs on wire racks set over 2 baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper. Roast for 20 minutes, brushing with the chilli marinade every 5 minutes, until golden and caramelised. 

Yosemite Time Lapse

Really, trully amazing

Yosemite HD II from Project Yosemite on Vimeo.

Rea Garvey - Can't say no

The latest video from Rea Garvey...

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Palatschinken-Auflauf mit Wiener Würstchen

1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, 200g flour, 2 eggs, 150ml milk, 150ml mineral water, 1 tsp salt, 2 tablespoons oil, 8 slices of mountain cheese, 6 Wiener, 150ml of water, 50ml cream, 1 sachet MAGGI fix & fresh ham & mince rolls

Preheat oven to 200 ° C. Chop finely the parsley.
From flour, eggs, milk, mineral water, salt, oil and parsley make a smooth dough. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Fry in a pan 6 thin pancakes .
Allow the pancakes to cool sligthly and top it with a slice of mountain cheese. Put 1 wiener  in eacg pancake and roll it up. Place it in a baking dish.
In a pot mix the water and cream with MAGGI fix & fresh ham rolls Hack, let it boil for 2 minutes, then pour it over the pancakes. Cut the rest of the cheese in strips and sprinkle over the pancakes. Put it in the oven for about 15 minutes .

Käse-Pie mit Schinken und Zucchini

2 rolls (à 270 g) puff pastry, 2 small zucchini (about 250 g), 2 tbsp oil, salt and pepper, 200 g Gruyère cheese, 1 egg, 2-3 tbsp mustard, 200 g cooked ham , thinly sliced

Take puff pastry from the refrigerator and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Wash, clean and coarsely grate zucchini. Heat oil in a pan. Sauté zucchini in it. Season with salt and pepper, let cool slightly . Cut cheese into thin slices. Whisk egg .
Unroll dough. Lightly press dough sheet in an oval shape. Spread a little egg on the edge of the dough. Spread the mustard on the dough. Distribute ham , zucchini and cheese on the mustard cream. Preheat the oven (electric oven : 225 ° C ).
Put the second sheet of dough over the filling, press it to adjust the shape of the top of the lower sheet of dough. Spread over the rest of the egg. Cook it for 15 minutes in the oven. Allow to cool briefly, then cut into pieces and serve.

The Script - Good Ol' Days

Rustikale Spätzle-Pfanne

What do we have here?
An adaptation of the classical German dish: Käsespätzle


1 onion, 250 g fresh champignons, 50 gr bacon, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 500 gr Spätzle, 1 Maggi Fix Gebratene Schinken-Noodle mix, 50 g grated Emmentaler, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Chop the onion, cut the mushrooms into stripes and the bacon in cubes.
Heat the oil and fry onions, mushrooms and bacon. Add the Spätzle, the Maggi Mix and water and let it cook for 2-3 minutes. In the end add the Emmentaler and the chopped parsley.

Moroccan lentil & turkey stew with pomegranate seeds

Chez Mazilique amazing recipe as always... and sooo easy to make...

1 turkey breast, cut into pieces, 100g lentils, 1 large onion, chopped, 1 tablespoon grated ginger, 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped, 1 handful of dried apricots, chopped, juice of 1 lemon, seeds of 1 pomegranate, 1 bunch parsley, chopped, 1 liter of chicken broth, 2 teaspoons ras el hanout

In a large pot heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and fry the onions, garlic and ginger for about 8 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Add the meat and let it fry for another 5 minutes, then add the ras el hanout, lentils, the chopped apricots and the lemon juice. Pour the chicken soup and let it boil for half an hour, or until the meat and the lentils are done. In the end add the chopped parsley and the pomegranate seeds and serve.

 

Spargel-Lamm-Pfännchen mit Gnocchi

500 g white asparagus, 2 spring onions, 2 (à 180 g) lamb fillets, salt water, 3 tablespoons THOMY Pure sunflower oil, 500 g gnocchi di patate, salt, pepper, 3 tablespoons white wine, 500 ml water, 2 sachets MAGGI Meisterklasse Rahm-Bratensauce, 1 tablespoon herb crème fraîche, salt, pepper

Wash, peel and cut the bottom of asparagus. Cut the asparagus diagonally into pieces. Cut the sprin onions into rings.Wash the meat, pat dry and cut into strips .
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, boil the asparagus for about 3 minutes, then drain.

Heat the oil into a pan, fry the gnocchi until golden brown for about 5 minutes , season with salt and remove. Heat the rest of the oil and fry the lamb strips in it. Season with salt and pepper. Deglaze with white wine and pour in the water. Add the Maggi Mix, stir and bring to a boil . Add the gnocchi, asparagus pieces and spring onion rings and let it boil for 2 minutes. Refine with the crème fraîche and season with salt and pepper.