Homemade poppy seeds cake :) - recipe (including photos)

Ingredients for the dough:

• 6 egg whites
• 100 grams of poppy seeds
• 100 grams of powder sugar
• 3 spoons with flour
• 1 vanilla sugar

Beat the egg whites with the sugar and the vanilla sugar.

Add the poppy seeds, the flour and mix slowly.With a spoon divide the dough in 2 layers.

Cook the layers in a tray on a baking paper for 5-8 minutes at 180 Celsius degrees.

 

Ingredients for the filling:

• 6 egg yolks
• 400 milliliters of milk
• 100 grams of sugar
• 50 grams of salted butter
• 3 spoons with flour
• 1 vanilla sugar

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar and the vanilla sugar for a minute.

Add the flour and mix.

Add the milk and mix.

Keep the filling in a pot over a slow fire, until thick like a pudding, mixing from time to time.

When ready let it cool.

Add the butter and mix until well incorporated.

On a plate add the first layer then spread the filling and on top add the second layer.

Above you can add melted chocolate mixed with 2 spoons of fresh cream.

Enjoy!

The original recipe can be found here
 

Cheese pie (merdenele in Romanian) - recipe (including photos)

Ingredients:

• 500 grams of flour
• 100 grams of butter
• 300 milliliters of water
• 300 grams of salted cheese
• 1 egg
• a few spoons with sunflower oil 
• half of a teaspoon with vinegar
• a bit of salt

Mix the flour with the water, the vinegar and the salt until you have a non sticky dough.

Divide the dough in 8-9 pieces.

Divide the butter in same number of pieces as the pieces of dough.

Now, spread each piece of dough on the table and spread a portion of the butter on it.

Start folding the piece of dough covered with butter like in the photos bellow:

Continue the process until you finish all pieces of dough and butter.
Put them in the fridge for one hour.

For the filling, mix the cheese with the egg and some salt if needed.

Preheat the oven at 220 Celsius degrees.

Take out the pieces of dough from the fridge and spread each one on the table.

In the center add the filling then start folding as shown in the photos bellow.

Turn the pie upside down, so that the folding should be down on the baking paper. Brush the pies with the sunflower oil.

Cook the pies at 220 Celsius degrees for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

The original recipe can be found here

Trip to Hilton Brussels Grand Place, Belgium

The room was nice and clean and the bed comfortable.

Good breakfast and decent food in the lounge area, altough the place is a bit smaller.

Free WIFI and paid covered parking places not far from the hotel.

5 minute walk from the old city center.

Keşkül (almond pudding) - turkish recipe (including photos)

Ingredients:

• 450 milliliters of milk
• 15 grams of rice flour or wheat flour
• 60 grams of almond powder
• 3 spoons with honey or sugar
• pistachios for the decor

Mix the almond powder with a few spoons of milk.

Mix the rice flour with a few spoons of milk.

Boil the milk together with the honey/sugar .

When boiling add the rice flour and mix slowly, then add the almond powder and mix. 

Let it simmer for 20-25 minutes or until it's thick like a pudding.

Put the pudding in forms and above add some grounded pistachios or almond.

Enjoy!

The original recipe can be found here

Chicken in the oven

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken
• 1 onion
• 2 young garlic
• 2 spoons with olive oil
• half of a bell pepper 
• salt
• pepper
• rosemary
• paprika

Clean and cut the meat.

Put the meat in a tray.

Above the meat add the onion cut in big slices, the sliced bell pepper, the chopped young garlic, the rosemary, salt, pepper and paprika according to your taste.

Add 2 spoons with olive oil and cover everything with water.

Put the tray covered with a baking paper in the oven at 180 Celsius degrees for about 1 - 1,5 hours.

When the meat is tender uncover the tray and let it cook until it gets a bit of color. Be careful not to dry it too much!

Can be served with mashed potatoes, french fries or ... just a salad :) .

Enjoy!

Mixed seeds bread - recipe (includig photos)

Ingredients:

• 300 grams wheat flour
• 300 milliliters of water
• 20 grams of seeds
• 2-3 spoons of olive oil
• 1 spoon with sugar 
• 10 grams of fresh yeast 
• salt

Mix the flour with the yeast (previously mixed with 100 milliliters of warm water and the sugar), the seeds (keep few of them to spread on top of the bread), the salt, the olive oil and the remaining water.

Let the dough rest for 30 minutes in a warm place.

Put the dough in a form and let it rest for another 25 minutes.

Above the dough you can brush a beaten egg yolk or a few spoons with milk and then add the remaining seeds.

Put it in the oven at 180 Celsius degrees for 40-45 minutes or until ready.

Enjoy!

Flower shaped sweet bread - recipe (with step-by-step photos)

Ingredients:

• 350-400 grams of crushed walnuts
• 300-330 grams of flour
• 150 milliliters of milk and additionally 2 spoons with milk
• 60 grams of butter
• 65 grams of sugar
• 15 grams of fresh yeast
• 3 spoons with cocoa powder
• 2 eggs
• zest from half of a lemon

Mix the 150 ml of warm milk with the fresh yeast and 1 spoon with sugar. Add 1 spoon with flour and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Add the remaining sugar, the flour, 1 entire egg and 1 egg white.
Mix well.

Add the grated zest and mix until well incorporated.

Add half of the melted butter and mix until well incorporated. Repeat the operation with the other half.

Mix well for about 10 minutes.

Let the dough rest in a warm place for 1 hour.

Divide the dough in 5 equal parts.

Mix the crushed walnuts with the two spoons with milk and the cocoa powder and divide it in 4 parts.

Spread one piece of dough on the table and above add 1 part of the crushed walnuts mixture.

Spread another layer above the walnuts, then a layer of walnuts and repeat the operation until you finish the walnuts and the dough layers.

To finish, add the last layer of dough put a glass upside-down in the center. Cut the bread from the center towards the margins to form 12 equal parts.

 Now, take 2 neighbouring parts and twist them parts in opposite sides one to another.

Bring together the edges of the sweet bread. Spread one egg yolk over the sweet bread and then put it in the oven at 170 Celsius degrees for 25 minutes or until ready.

 Enjoy!

 

The original recipe can be found here