Ep. 111 – pita with egg salad

It is said that the egg salad was eaten at the English tables in the 17th-18th centuries, after which mayonnaise was invented, after which egg salad sandwiches appeared. In our country, almost everyone has eaten something like this at least once in their life, only it must have potatoes. And olives. And sour cucumbers. LOL.

For the egg salad you need hard boiled eggs, cut into small cubes, mixed with mayonnaise, mustard and some lemon juice, salt and pepper. I like chopped dill and parsley better, instead of chopped red or green onions. And I didn’t have celery, because I would have put it, as the recipe says. You put the chopped ingredients in a bowl, add the dressing and mix lightly. You can also use capers or Worchester sauce.

Well, it rocks! 😛 Full of proteins and vegetarian. I combined it with a pita heated in the microwave and with some chopped lettuce leaves. Rolled, cut in half for artistic impression, eaten.

If you want a sandwich, use rye bread or potato bread, which is thicker. Or lightly toast the white or seed bread.

Any disaster can cook such a tasty recipe. 🙂

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See all the kitchen disasters here. 🙂 If you try the recipe, don’t forget to post pictures on our facebook page.

cookingbookclubEN, disaster in the kitchen

Cookingbookclub 9

Well, this month #cookingbookclub is a surprise, even for me. 😀 In theory it was supposed to be a book from which to read and cook together, that maybe we got tired of so many sites…

In practice, it was difficult to choose, because I wanted to increase the accessibility of the fan club. 🙂

From the #321sourcesofinspiration, I chose this month to search through the archive of books published under communism and to cook, at choice, a recipe that reminds us of the times before 89 or, on the contrary, a recipe from a communist book that I’ve never tried it.

I found two books in my family’s library, one with cold dishes from 1976 and a salad book from 1962. From the last one, for example, I learned a synonym for olive oil. 🙂

You will probably find a Sanda Marin or an almanac with recipes or something else, if you search carefully through your personal archive. And if you were born later, here’s a reason to visit your older friends. 🙂

(Well, do people use to cook with avocado at that time? Enter #cookingbookclub and you’ll find out our next meeting 🙂 )

The deadline for reading, choosing a recipe, trying, photographing and sending feedback is June 10th. (Just a picture and a link to the original recipe.)

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Read all the #cookingbookclub articles here.

See here all the disasters in the kitchen.

disaster in the kitchen

Special [Greek] ep. – kolokithokeftedes or zucchini balls with cheese

That time when you burn the veggie balls and it’s so good, that you lick your fingers! 😛

With the sea and the beach in mind, I destroyed a Greek recipe for you. It wasn’t too complicated, I replaced the feta with Romanian white cheese called telemea – because it’s still white cheese 😀 – and I changed the mint with dill and parsley. Disastrously simple and easy. :))))))

The funny story is another one: my mother has been making zucchini and cheese balls like this for many years and every time we talk, we end like this: I made veggie balls, should I send you some? Oh, no, no way Jose. 😀 It seems to me that I should have made them from the start, and then I wouldn’t have had any problems eating them! LOL.

In the recipe from Pinterest, you mix 4-5 cups of grated zucchini with 1 cup of chopped feta, 2 beaten eggs, 1 1/2 cups of flour, some salt and pepper, 3 finely chopped green onions and 1/4 cup of chopped fresh mint. In my version I used two medium zucchini, a small piece of telemea, a lot of chopped onion, about 2-3 bundles of dill/ parsley, 2 eggs and flour as it needs. 🙂

Let the zucchini drain after you grate it, otherwise the vegetable composition will not bind (for this you actually use the flour).

Put the veggie balls with the teaspoon in the pan and deep fry them in oil (more oil than the three dietary drops generally used :D). Next time I think I’ll try to bake them on baking paper, in the oven, to see how they come out (with less flour in the composition and just a little oil sprinkled on top).

The most complicated thing is to find the right temperature – if the fire is too strong, they burn on the outside, but they remain raw, if the fire is too small, they are made at the holy wait and soaked in oil…

Drain them on a paper towel. Eat them by hand and with tzatziki. 🙂

See all the kitchen disasters here. 🙂 If you try the recipe, don’t forget to post pictures on our facebook page.

disaster in the kitchen

Ep. 110 – Niçoise salad

Ingredients: boiled egg, tuna, boiled potatoes, olives, red onion, tomatoes, lettuce, boiled green beans. Basically, a kind of potato salad learned in high school, with tuna, lettuce and green beans, plus a super fancy name and hard to pronounce. :))

French-inspired, it is a filling salad that looks good and eats even better. 🙂 The dressing is a classic combination of lemon juice, olive oil and Dijon mustard, plus spices – salt, pepper, thyme, oregano and basil. In the recipe I read, the potatoes, after boiling, were mixed with a quarter of the dressing and two tablespoons of dry vermouth (if you don’t have any, don’t worry, I didn’t have one either); the lettuce, separately with another quarter; likewise the tone; the rest for onions, and tomatoes, and the end result. But I don’t think it’s gonna be a big disaster, if you arrange the salad and put the dressing on top. 🙂 And add some capers, for plating.

Well, the first time I made the salad it turned out disastrously good, and I ate it all, then I realized I forgot to photograph it. :)))))) Don’t act like me, take the photo before and eat after! :)))))))

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See all the kitchen disasters here. 🙂 If you try the recipe, don’t forget to post pictures on our facebook page.

first aid in the kitchen

[firstaidinthekitchen 1] – when you burned more than your vanity

Starting today we have another special series, #firstaidinthekitchen, because once you enter the kitchen there are maximum chances to burn/cut /hit /slip etc., that is why you have to be prepared both to prevent accidents and especially to give quick first aid when the situation calls for it.

In my list of personal disasters, burns are at the forefront. 🙂 And obviously I’m not talking about burning cakes now, but about burning different parts of my body. 🙂 Like the tongue, when I was impatient to wait for the food to cool down or my fingers and/ or arms when I used the oven. Luckily I haven’t spilled any hot pots on me yet, but there’s still time. 🙂

Areas where you can burn are the stove, the electric hob, the oven, including the microwave, the toaster and so on in combination with various pots, pans, saucepans, lids, spoons, etc.

The easiest way is to prevent burns. 🙂 Therefore, be careful and do not rush when working with open fire. Avoid hot steam areas (when you open the oven or remove the lid from the pot). Use kitchen towels or gloves. If you have to taste hot liquids, wait for it to cool (e.g. pour a few tablespoons of liquid into a large plate to speed up the cooling process, then taste). Be careful how you place the dishes on the stove, so that you do not go with them or they do not fall on you. 🙂

If you happen to get burned, first aid means immediately cooling the area with cold water (or gel patches, if you have one at hand) and, if necessary, covering it with a patch or bandaging it with a sterile dressing. Cooling the burn helps to reduce pain, reduce edema, prevent possible infections and reduce the depth of the burn. If you have blisters, do not break them. The use of ice is not recommended as it may damage the tissue. Aloe vera and bee honey can be applied to minor wounds, after pre-cooling the tissue and can help speed up the recovery process (if you are a fan of these products and use them regularly, otherwise beware of any allergies, etc.).

Salt, egg whites, grated potatoes and other folk remedies are not recommended (they can lead to infection of the affected area).

The larger the burn area, or the deeper the burn (not just redness – 1st degree burns – but blisters – 2nd degree burns – or charred tissue – 3rd degree burns), or the more we burn the more sensitive areas (e.g. eyes), the more necessary it is to quickly call the emergency services or the family doctor who will know where to guide you.

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As a general idea, at least once in your life you should take a practical first aid course at the Red Cross or elsewhere (ask beforehand if the course is only theoretical or has a practical part). Also, you should have a mini first aid kit on hand – you never know when you’ll need it. 🙂

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Bibliography: European First Aid Manual, 2006; International First Aid and Resuscitation Guidelines, IFRC, 2016.

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Learn first aid to have time for real kitchen disasters. 🙂 See destroyed recipes here. 🙂 If you are passionate about reading, join the #cookingbookclub here. 🙂 If you try the recipe, don’t forget to post pictures on our facebook page.

disaster in the kitchen

Ep. 109 – chicken brine

Well, today I thought we’d celebrate with chicken brine. 🙂 I don’t know about you, but I drool when I hear the word brine. 😛

There are different recipes on the internet, but this one is extremely simple, with 4 ingredients, chicken (boneless thighs), bell peppers (red and green), hot peppers and tomatoes. And a grill. 🙂

Grill the peppers, peel and seed them, then cut them into larger pieces; do the same with the hot pepper; it can be finely chopped, according to your preferences (depending on how hot it is). So are the tomatoes, lightly grilled and peeled. Season the chicken thighs and grill them as well.

When the grilling part is over, put all the ingredients in a tray, add salt, pepper, if necessary and garlic (you can also grill it before, in aluminum foil). Put the tray on the grill and let it braise slowly, until all the flavors are all well mixed. 🙂

Leave it on the fire until the rain starts, then eat it in the car, socially distanced from the crazy world, directly from the tray, admiring the plague from outside. :))))) If you don’t have rain, I don’t know what to say, the result will be so and so… 😛

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See all the kitchen disasters here. 🙂 If you try the recipe, don’t forget to post pictures on our facebook page.

cakes and coffee, disaster in the kitchen

[cakesandcoffee 1] – poppy cake

We are starting a special series with cakes, homemade sweets and coffees (or teas, according to your preferences), for when you want to take a break, but you are tired of the classic crunchy stuff from the bag. 🙂

Today we have a recipe for a poppy cake, in its original version ‘poppy seed bread’ that looks more like muffins than the cake we know, because the dough is quite dense and has milk in the composition. But because it bakes in a cake pan, I included it in this category. 🙂

You need 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 1/4 cup oil, 1 1/4 cup sugar, 3 large eggs at room temperature, 1 1/3 cup milk, 1 vanilla sugar, 1/4 cup poppy seeds.

I only put 3/4 cup of oil and sugar and it came out ok.

Oil mixed with sugar and vanilla sugar, add eggs in turn, milk, then dry ingredients – flour, salt, baking powder. At the end the poppy seeds.

Bake in a large cake pan, greased and floured or on baking paper. On the right heat for about 45 minutes – test it with a toothpick, it should come out clean.

It can be cut cold.

If you have managed not to burn the poppy cake, then it is suitable for a cup of hot coffee. 🙂 Or a cappuccino. 😀

The recipe is from the famous Magnolia Bakery (if you haven’t heard of it, it means 1, that you don’t like cupcakes and 2, that you haven’t watched Sex and the City 😛 )

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See all the kitchen disasters here. 🙂 If you try the recipe, don’t forget to post pictures on our facebook page.

disaster in the kitchen

Ep. 108 – chicken legs in a pan with grilled vegetables

The chicken: whole chicken legs, Romanian and not American (to fit in the pan), seasoned with a mix of spices (salt, pepper, cumin, rosemary, etc.), some unpeeled garlic cloves, smoked bacon (homemade preferably, if you don’t have, just buy from the store). Olive oil, a little water. Arranged nicely in the oven tray.

Vegetables: zucchini, red and yellow bell peppers, leeks, celery, white onions. Or what you have around the house, but the more varied and colorful, the better. 🙂 Cut into large pieces and grilled. When ready, mix them in a bowl with fresh basil, salt and a little olive oil.

Super good. Disastrously good. Of course I didn’t make them. 🙂

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See all the kitchen disasters here. 🙂 If you try the recipe, don’t forget to post pictures on our facebook page.

disaster in the kitchen

Special ep. [fromquarantine] – chicken fajitas with salsa

Unlike you #poorpeople, I semi-isolated myself at home with Chef on call. 😀 Something that came bundled with conversations like:

I’m hungry, what do we make to eat? A sandwich?

No.

We could make a pizza, but it takes a while.

No.

Well, then…

Take some meat out of the freezer, we make fajitas!!!

That we did. 🙂 More precisely, Chef did it and I ate, because that’s how the roles in the disaster kitchen were divided. :))))

Fajitas in Mexican cuisine or Tex-Mex means grilled meat (usually chicken or beef), eaten in a taco or a tortilla.

Chef sliced some quickly thawed chicken breast into microwaves, seasoned it with almost the whole pantry (salt, pepper, vegeta, oregano, a loooot of cumin, etc.), then tossed it in the pan with some oil. When it was almost done, he added strips of green and red bell pepper, plus some red onions, turned them two or three more times and that was it. 🙂

The salsa was made with chopped tomato broth – as in quarantine -, chopped red/ green onions and some pickled jalapenos.

To be eaten with tortillas or thawed pita. Yup, pandemics’ best friend in disasters is the freezer. 🙂

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See all the kitchen disasters here. 🙂 If you try the recipe, don’t forget to post pictures on our facebook page.

disaster in the kitchen

Ep. 107 – turned puff pastry with pineapple and caramel

Today we have a recipe from friends. That like to burn the caramel. 😀 🙂 😛

Well, in a saucepan (which can be used in the oven) make some caramel sauce – put sugar on the fire, burn lightly, quench with a little water and butter. When it has the consistency of a sauce, remove from the heat, add pieces of pineapple from the compote, which you arrange artistically, cover with a sheet of puff pastry (if you take it out of the freezer, leave it to thaw).

Put in the oven, the medium temperature (or as it says on the packaging of the dough); when ready, take it out of the oven and turn the cake over on a larger plate.

Wait for it to cool, then cut into slices and garnish with a tablespoon of whipped cream.

If you don’t have pineapple (or you don’t like it), you can try other fruits.

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See all the kitchen disasters here. 🙂 If you try the recipe, don’t forget to post pictures on our facebook page.