a day in january

january, 2014.
on a rainy day, while pixel was taking a nap,
i made spinach rice gratin* & chocolate ice cream.
with chocolate chips!
and without an ice cream machine


hope you have a lovely monday

♥





* i love all of heidi sawnson's recipes, but this gratin has to be the one i made the most
it's so incredibly tasty and so perfect for lunch, i can't resist.

tilia trees and lemon cakes

december, 2013.

every now and then i make homemade yogurt
so when i found myself with two jars sitting on the fridge
and the expiration date creeping over
i took out some bowls and made a cake



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yogurt and lemon cake

original recipe here

ingredients*
♥ 210 g self rising flour, which is what i had on hand
♥ 1/2 tsp salt
♥ 300 g sugar (i used a bit less)
♥ 120 g butter, softened
♥ 234 g plain yogurt (i probably used a bit more)
♥ 2 large eggs
♥ 2 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
♥ zest of two lemons

i also added:

♥ lots of cardamom

* the list of ingredients was originally in cups,
but i cannot work with those measures so used this guide for conversion

method

preheat the oven at 180ºc

whisk the flour, baking soda, salt & cardamom.
in a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients until smooth.
pour the dry ingredients into the wet ones slowly and in three different batches.
mix until it's all incorporated, carefully not to over mix
pour the batter onto an oiled cake pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

the original recipe finishes the cake with syrup and candied lemons
but i like my cakes to be very simple, so i skipped that part

best served with a cup a tea and a good book on a sunny morning

autumn in spring

november, 2013.

when the spring feels more like autumn,
and the days are cold and cloudy
i turn on the oven and bake


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langue de chat

original recipe from "cuaderno dulce"
by pascale alemany*

ingredients

♥ 125 g flour

♥ 130 g sugar

♥ 100 g butter, softened

♥ 3 egg whites

♥ 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

i also added:

♥ a bit of lemon zest

method

preheat the oven at 210ºc. blend together the sugar and butter.

lightly whisk the egg whites and pour them slowly into the sugar.
add the remaining ingredients and mix til smooth.

using a spoon, spread the batter on a silicone mat
in small & long portions of roughly 5  or 7 cm
and bake for 6 to 8 minutes, til the sides are golden brown.

best served on a rainy day with a cup a tea and a good book.


* a few months ago, i had the chance to attend to one of pascale's cooking classes
she's a wonderful person and an amazing cook. if you live in buenos aires, i recommend them wholeheartedly.
classes are announced here

sunday (IV)

{ re-uploaded. originally posted on may 15, 2013 }

april, 2013.
few times i had been so excited to do my homework
as i am with cooking classes.


i was determined to use my great grandmother's pasta machine
unfortunately, and after several attempts at cleaning it,
sitting on a shelve for many years took it's toll and it was too dirty
and i ended rolling it out by hand.
i'd like to think that that would've made her even more proud.


hope you have a lovely day

♥

chocolate afternoons

august, 2012.
for some unkown reason
i find myself taking more & more vertical pictures.


----

chocolate & nutella mug cake, for two

original recipe here

ingredients

♥ 4 tbsp self rising flour

♥ 3 tbsp cocoa powder

♥ 3 tbsp nutella

♥ 3 tbsp milk

♥ 1 tbsp sugar (i used vanilla sugar)

♥ 1tbsp oil (the original recipe calls for olive oil, but mine is sacred so i used canola instead)

♥ 1 egg

method

combine all the ingredients together in an big, big cup.

whisk together with a fork until combined and smooth.

if you have a microwave, microwave it for about a minute.
if you don't, like me, then bake for 15- 20 minutes in a regular oven.

let cool, sprinkle with some powder sugar & enjoy with someone you love.

kumquats & honey

homemade kumquat & honey marmalade

original recipe here

ingredients

♥ about 18 kumquats

♥ 2/3 cups honey (i used slightly less than 1 cup as i wanted it sweeter)

♥ 1 cup water

i also added:

♥ a few cardamom seeds

♥ a cinnamon stick

method

clean the kumquats and prick them in a few places with a toothpick.
bring a pot of water to boil and add the whole kumquats.
let it simmer for 15 minutes, drain and allow to cool a little bit.

thinly slice kumquats and remove seeds. place the  honey & water in a small saucepan.
heat over medium flame, stirring occasionally, until the honey has dissolved.

add the sliced kumquats to the pan (cardamom & cinnamon too, if wanted).
let it simmer uncovered for 30 to 45 minutes, until the mixture has thickened up.

remove pan from heat and scoop the marmalade into a little hot, sterilized jar,
leaving half an inch of air between the marmalade and the lid.
wipe the rims, close it and place it in hot water for about 10 more minutes.

once cooled, scoop some on a freshly made scone
and enjoy it with a cup of tea and a good book.

garden beets

june 2012.
several weeks ago my sister and grandmother came to visit
together we made beetroot gnocchi and played with little pixel

the very next day we went ice skating with friends
and later came back home and made even more gnocchi

*

i've been working non-stop for the last couple of weeks and, in top of that, pixel's been sick.
july tends to be one of my busiest months.

i hope to be properly back in about a week,
visiting your blogs to see what you're up to and replying to all the lovely comments.
meanwhile, i'll leave you with a few scheduled posts, hope that's ok : )

have a wonderful weekend, full of happiness and laughter ♥

just a minute in june

coconut rice with spinach, mushrooms & seeds

the days are colder now
and i'm wearing hats and gloves and scarves,
warming up next to little pixel and drinking lots of tea

reading brideshead revisited, evelyn waugh
watching shame
singing along to soft, beautiful songs
making plans for days to come
working quite a lot
baking chocolate chip cookies almost every day

hope you have a lovely friday

tea party

may 2012.
birthday tea party with lovely friends ♥

sunday (II)

{ re-uploaded. originally posted on june 11, 2012 }

hi hello,
happy monday ♥

noon

korma chicken with bulgur pilaf

coconut red lentil soup & cha siu bao

may, 2012.
a cold, rainy long weekend
perfect for movies & homemade food

a vanilla scented weekend (II)

{ re-uploaded. originally posted on may 15, 2012 }

sunday.
family lunch, outdoors ♥

a vanilla scented weekend

saturday.
golden fingernails & vanilla bean bundt cakes
we're making vanilla sugar & extract with the used beans, too.

mornings past

i'm sick and have been drinking lots of tea while going through old pictures

october 2011 . a breakfast a few days before pixel came to our home
i knitted him a pretty little toy with catnip & a small jingle bell inside
he never played with it, he likes crumbled paper and cardboard boxes all the much better ♥