cakes and coffee, disaster in the kitchen

[cakesandcoffee 13] – wild thyme and lemon tea

With wild thyme or Breckland thyme.

Today in the category #cakesandcoffee we have a recipe for communion with the surrounding nature. From the hills of Dumbrăvița. 🙂

I don’t know if you’re a tea drinker. In our family, it is one of the drinks used almost all the time, not only in the cold season or when you have a cold. 🙂 That’s why we have a special cupboard with many kinds of teas, some from the shop – which all tend to have the same taste, regardless of their brand/ firm/ price – and others from plants, harvested from the hills and plains of the homeland.

Well, you can pick wild thyme around Brașov or from the shelf. 🙂

The tea is an infusion of herbs, e.g. for a cup you put a teaspoon of herbs and pour hot water on top, after which you wait about 5 minutes for it to infuse. For maximum effects, add two or three slices of lemon. And if you like it sweet, a teaspoon of honey.

It is best done in the morning, strained, refrigerated and consumed throughout the day. 🙂 On hot days in Brasov. :)))))

PS: Do you see that I have not lost my humor, despite the pandemic, the dubious weather and the huge amounts of lemons that I eat? 😛

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See all the kitchen disasters here. 🙂 If you tried to destroy the recipe in your kitchen and you succeeded, we would like to hear it too, leave us a comment below; also, write to us if you have any questions or concerns. 🙂

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Cookingbookclub 14 | Jamila’s recipes

The good thing about Jamila is that she has instructions, text and video. So from the three combined you should have an approximately similar product at the end. I insist on the word “approximately” because obviously I didn’t really get what she had in the pictures. :))))))

That’s why the old cookbooks were good, with “flour as it contains”, because you didn’t have pictures and no matter what came out at the end, you could brag about a perfect product. :)))))

I could have cooked anything from her, but I happened to want buns and I remembered my friend saying that the recipe for hamburger buns is very easy. Number one attempt turned out to be ok, the second one turned out to be a disaster. :))) But we will try again. 🙂

Luci made mucenici (have no idea yet how to translate them), very good ones. 🙂

And you? I hope that whatever you tried turned out to be an edible disaster. And if not, just keep on doing. 😀

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#foodfriendslove and whatever would be, don’t forget to enjoy the food, the sun, the earth and to breath <3

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Read all the #cookingbookclub articles here. See here all the disasters in the kitchen. And if you’re passionate about #cakesandcoffee, click here. Remember that prevention is easier than treating and that you can’t burn recipes successfully if you don’t know first aid in the kitchen – read more here.

cakes and coffee, disaster in the kitchen

[cakesandcoffee 12] – apple and walnuts pastry triangle

Today’s recipe is a quick disaster, assuming you have some puff pastry in the fridge or freezer. If it’s in the freezer, you have to be patient to defrost it – the quickest and most effective way is to leave it in the fridge overnight.

From the dough you will cut squares 12 × 12 cm or whatever size you want. Consider how much dough you have, how many pieces you want to make and that you will have to fill the square, then bend it diagonally. If it’s too small, you won’t be able to put too much stuffing in, so you’re going to eat pastry triangles with traces of apples. :))))

As long as you calculate the hypotenuse of the isosceles triangle, prepare the filling separately. 🙂 Grate some cleaned and washed apples, mix them with cinnamon powder and sugar (is not compulsory), then put them to harden on the fire, a process that will evaporate the juice and make the filling easier to use. Finally add some chopped walnut kernels.

Sprinkle a little breadcrumbs or semolina on each square of the dough (to absorb the excess juice), put a spoonful of filling (or as much as it enters), then fold the square diagonally so that the top completely covers the dough. You press the edges to be well glued and you can make a model with the fork.

Brush on top with a beaten egg yolk (mixed or not with a little milk). For artistic impression. 🙂

Bake them in the preheated oven for about 20-30 minutes, at the medium heat. Or see what it says on the foliage.

The recipe is from the book “24 Fruit Sweets”, by Laura Adamache.

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Don’t forget that we also have a #cookingbookclub #disasterinthekitchen, where we experiment with new recipes from cookbooks every month. 🙂

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Ep. 156 – baked mackerel with tomato salad and horseradish potatoes

Whether you are preparing for Easter or Palm Sunday, today’s recipe is perfect, super fancy and easier to make than you think. 🙂

Well, I passed it on to Chef, because I didn’t understand exactly how to cook the fish. :)))) Plus his oven is much smarter than mine. 😀

The recipe is from Gordon Ramsay and I liked the sound so much that I proposed it for the family dinner. Which in the end was not so ecstatic, that is why in the middle of the table sat a large bowl of fried mackerel and a smaller tray of mackerel made in the oven. :)))

Until the fish, let’s see the garnishes: the horseradish salad with horseradish is made from boiled potatoes, peeled and cut, which are mixed with a cream sauce with chopped onion, dill, grated horseradish. If you don’t like this option, then leave the sauce aside and everyone will put as much as they want.

Tomato salad, Gordon suggested a fennel salad with Rome tomatoes or whatever; we made with arugula, lettuce and tomatoes. The dressing is a simple vinaigrette, made of lemon juice with olive oil, chopped dill. The dressing is on side, for those who want it; plus if the whole salad isn’t eaten, it’s better kept without.

The fish, the piece of resistance, is a whole thawed mackerel, whose head and tail are cut and cleaned and washed well inside and out. Then it is striped at a distance of one finger on each side. For 4 pieces of mackerel, separately mix 125g soft butter (at room temperature) with 1 tsp* pepper, 2tsp smoked sweet paprika, 1tsp coriander, 1/2tsp mustard and 2tsp white or red wine. Grease the mackerel pieces on the outside and inside with the seasoning butter, then put them in the pan, in the oven, on the medium heat, with the heat on top (if you have), for 5 minutes on each side. Or until it gets a nice golden color. 🙂

If I did it a second time, I would use a lot less fat and put the fish in foil in the oven. It will be more dietetic and the spices will keep better. 🙂

Well, it was not the most disastrous idea for a Sunday family meal. 🙂

*tsp = teaspoon

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Don’t forget that we also have a #cookingbookclub #disasterinthekitchen, where we experiment with new recipes from cookbooks every month. 🙂

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Cookingbookclub 14

I may have told you before, but every time my mother calls me to tell me that she had cooked something new, she found her recipes on the site at Jamila Cuisine. 🙂

I know, you would expect that after so many episodes, disasters would be the first source of inspiration in the family. Still, the mouse goes to Jamila. 😛 😀 :)))

So this year, we dedicate a special spring month to the most famous culinary blogger in Romania, author of delicious books. 🙂

Maybe you already have the two volumes published, if not, you can find them at the bookstore or at the G. Barițiu County Library; plus there are the internet, Youtube or Insta. 🙂

Jamila’s recipes are easy to reproduce and are perfect for people who want to cook edible food, regardless of experience. 🙂 For everyone else, there is me. :)))))

Until April 10, you can read Jamila, choose a recipe, try it with friends and loved ones (including cats, dogs, hamsters, we don’t discriminate :)), and post it publicly on your Facebook/ Instagram with the hashtags #cookingbokclub #disasterinthekitchen #foodfriendslove and the best stories will be promoted on the official pages of disasters.

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#foodfriendslove and whatever would be, don’t forget to enjoy the food, the sun, the earth and to breath <3

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cakes and coffee, disaster in the kitchen

[cakesandcoffee 11] – caramel tea

May March be as sweet as today’s tea. 😛 😀 🙂

In our family disaster we drink tea quite often, but they are generally herbal teas. If they are picked with your personal hands, even the better. 🙂

Burnt sugar tea or caramel tea was drunk in the camps and in the mountains, because caramel washing was the fastest, most practical and energetic drink. Good for the cold and kids. Although nowadays giving your child a drink made of water and sugar is a super horror idea. 🙂

I tried to make it at home, to see if I could drink something like that again. Yes, I’m a bit of a masochist. :)))))

For a cup of tea I used two teaspoons of caster sugar caramelized in a kettle. When the sugar is a colorful syrup (be careful, the process is super fast, don’t burn the caramel!), I added a cup of cold water and let it boil and melt the caramel. The water was very beautifully colored, the taste being sweet, slightly fragrant wash. Lol.

I drank a couple of mouthfuls and kept the rest for the syrup for cakes. :))))

This shows that some experiments are a disaster from start to finish. 😛

If you’ve been drinking caramel tea and you’re a fan, leave me a comment: did you add something else, e.g. lemon? Did you use other amounts of sugar? When was the last time you drank? 🙂

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Don’t forget that we also have a #cookingbookclub #disasterinthekitchen, where we experiment with new recipes from cookbooks every month. 🙂

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Cookingbookclub 13 | Gordon Ramsay’s recipes

Last year there was #321sourcesofinspiration. This year comes with #foodfriendsandlove. And Gordon Ramsay, who cooks for friends. 🙂

What is Gordon telling us? That he teaches his children that if you want to live to old age and for a healthy lifestyle, you have to eat well. This also means knowing where the food comes from (so you can understand why I’m commenting on labels 🙂 ). That if you have the patience and ambition, you can prepare good food at home. (That’s what we also knew from parents and grandparents. 🙂 ) And that you can educate your taste (even if it’s a disaster 🙂 ). And that a recipe is just a guide, adding, removing ingredients or creating something else from it is pure pleasure in the kitchen. Totally agree. 🙂

What I cooked:

Grilled eggplant with feta, mint and balsamic vinegar – here’s the recipe.

Linguini with feta, lemon and pumpkin seeds – here’s the recipe.

If you sense a theme (feta!) It’s because I had to cook more stuff and finish this ingredient from the fridge, otherwise it would spoil. 🙂

In other words, when you cook from a cookbook you may not be able to do much, even if it sounds super interesting, if you can’t find the ingredients at the store. 🙂

Good luck trying recipes from Gordon Ramsay – the more disastrous it sounds, the better 😀 – and see you soon with the next proposal for #cookingbookclub #disasterinthekitchen. 🙂

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#foodfriendslove and whatever would be, don’t forget to enjoy the food, the sun, the earth and to breath <3

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cookingbookclubEN, disaster in the kitchen

Ep. 150 – pancakes with chocolate chips and orange sauce and liqueur

I admit, I also tried this version of pancakes, but the classic ones still seem better to me (see more ideas here). 🙂 The sauce instead is worth trying with ice cream. 😀

It’s a recipe from Gordon Ramsay, which was the suggestion of the month at #cookingbookclub and sounded great in theory. In practice, we will get some American pancakes – with baking powder in the batter – to try once in a lifetime. 🙂

The dough is made of 2/3 cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder (I put less), a pinch of salt, 2/3 cup milk, 2 large eggs separated egg white from egg yolk, 1/4 cold water. The yolks are mixed with milk, water and dry ingredients so that they do not remain lumpy; at the end, add the beaten egg whites separately. A slightly thicker dough comes out.

This dough should be enough for 5-6 people, like two per person.

Fry in a pan with a little butter or oil; when you pour them, add chocolate chips (1/2 cup in total). I just put a few.

Separately, we prepare the orange and liqueur sauce, which, surprisingly, is chocolate sauce. :)))) 1/3 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cup liquid cream, 2 tablespoons sugar melt over very low heat, finally add 2 tablespoons of orange juice and a tablespoon of Grand Marnier / Cointreau.

The pancakes are arranged on plates, decorated with a slice of orange and sauce on top. Mine are a couple of different ones, as you can see from the pictures. 😀 (Did you notice that they are hearts, yes? :))))))

Happy Valentine, with a lot of socially distant love! 😛 And if you make pancakes, send pictures. :)))))

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Don’t forget that we also have a #cookingbookclub #disasterinthekitchen, where we experiment with new recipes from cookbooks every month. 🙂

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cakes and coffee, disaster in the kitchen

[cakesandcofee 10] – streusel cake

Childhood cake. Slightly sweet according to our current preferences, but disastrously good. 😀

This time I respected the quantities of the ingredients, but next time I would reduce the amount of sugar in the icing to 100g instead of 150g; and I think that in the dough it could be halved as well. And if it does not come out ok, we return to the original quantities. 🙂

It is basically a shortcrust pastry, with sugar and eggs in it, with a soft meringue-cream icing.

Dough: 2 egg yolks, 150g butter, 100g powdered sugar, 300g flour, 1 pinch of baking soda, lemon zest and a little juice.

Icing: 2 egg whites, 150g powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons marmalade.

For the dough, rub the yolks with the butter, sugar and grated lemon zest until a frothy composition is obtained. Right. Add the baking soda soaked in lemon juice and flour and knead well. Three parts of the dough (I put two thirds) are grated on a large grater, directly in the pan greased with butter and lined with flour, in a layer as uniform as possible. And if possible without grating your fingers like the disaster of myself. :))))

Whisk the egg whites with the sugar, add the marmalade (I put plum jam) and pour the icing over the dough in the pan.

Grate the rest of the dough on top.

Bake in the oven over medium heat for 25-30 minutes. But check it out, it burns pretty fast. 🙂

After it has cooled, powder it with sugar (or not, because it is very sweet) and cut it into square pieces.

You get approx. 20 pieces from an oven tray, minus the edges.

It can be also made with gluten-free flour, only you might need to add a little more flour and leave it more in the fridge.

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Don’t forget that we also have a #cookingbookclub #disasterinthekitchen, where we experiment with new recipes from cookbooks every month. 🙂

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cakes and coffee, disaster in the kitchen

[cakesandcoffee 9] – Irish Coffee with orange flavored whipped cream

It was actually Bourbon Coffee, but on looking closer, I came to the conclusion that the basis is the classic Irish Coffee recipe. 🙂

For 6 servings you need 6 cups of hot coffee, 6 tablespoons of caster sugar and 6 tablespoons of bourbon. Pour the coffee into each cup, add the sugar and alcohol and mix well.

Flavored whipped cream: beat with a mixer a cup of cream with 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 cup orange juice and a quarter teaspoon of peel, a pinch of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg.

Spread the whipped cream evenly over the 6 cups of coffee and decorate with grated orange peel.

I used whipped cream from Meggle, which is already sweetened. And I approximated the spices. 🙂

A perfect disaster for this period! 🙂 But don’t get behind the wheel!!!

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Don’t forget that we also have a #cookingbookclub #disasterinthekitchen, where we experiment with new recipes from cookbooks every month. 🙂

Join the kitchen disaster community on our Facebook page or follow us on Instagram or Pinterest.