eye-like-it

[eye-like-it]

Winter Warmer Soup

Alright, so it's the new year and there has been a lot of rain, too much for my liking. And I do feel sorry for all those who have been affected by the flooding.

Today though I could feel a little chill in the air, definitely colder than the last couple of days. And as I picked up the new issue of 'Living etc' I came across a recipe of a kale and lentil soup. And there I was going out to get kale and bacon joint (well, they asked for ham but I remembered that wrong when I was in the shop). I amended the soup slightly and didn't add as many vegetables but it still worked and is most definitely a very warming and hearty soup.

And here is how you can make one yourself. I have to admit though I kind of winged it after reading the recipe and there are no exact measurements.

You'll need:

olive oil

1 onion (finely chopped)

2 gloves of garlic (finely chopped)

a few sprigs of thyme and parsley

tomato puree (from tube or can)

kale (shredded)

lentils

ham joint (optional)

vegetables, ie. celery, carrots, swede, (to taste or what you've got in the cupboard -- chopped into cubes)

Heat up the olive oil in a big sauce pan and sauté the onions and garlic until softened, then fill with 2-3 liters of water, put thyme and parsley sprigs in and add tomato puree to taste. Place the ham joint in it and cook for 1 hour. If you want to keep it vegetarian just jump over that bit.

After the hour take the joint out and let cool, then shred.

In the meantime or immediately (if vegetarian), put the vegetables, lentils and kale in and cook until the lentils are softened.

Place ham shreds back in the pan and warm through, then serve and just enjoy!

[eye-like-it]

[eye-like-it]

Time for... Christmas Cookies

Well, what would the Pre-Christmas Period be without candles, mistletoe, mulled wine, Christmas Carols (and cheesy Christmas songs) and Christmas cookies? 

For me Christmas wouldn't be the same if it wasn't for spending at least a good few hours each year in my kitchen making lots of different kind of cookies. Most of the time I try some new types but there will always be the good old favourites of mine like the chocolate and marzipan parcels that one of my best friends introduced me to a few years ago. 

Well, so there I was last weekend, after I had prepared most of the cookie doughs over the past evenings, standing in my kitchen, enjoying the odd glass or two of mulled wine and baked and baked - this year I went for 'Poppy Seed Snails', 'Crème Fraîche Clouds', 'Chocolate Marzipan Parcels', 'Raspberry Biscotti', 'Green Tea Biscuits' and 'Florentines' (from top to bottom below). 

I can't wait to distribute them to all the people that I like and work with over the next couple of days. And of course... spare a few for me. 

[eye-like-it]

Mmmh, mulled cider

With the temperatures dropping I really like to convert to mulled wine when I'm looking for a drink. In Germany you get it on pretty much corner on the weeks leading up to Christmas. And you probably heard a lot about how great German Christmas markets are. But I'm not going to bore you with that. Actually, I'm quite impressed how much the UK has embraced mulled wine in the last couple of years with lots of pubs now already having it on their seasonal menu. And some of them go even further and have already introduced something new, mulled cider. One pub in Chichesters offers Rekordeligs Winter Cider and I love it.

So there I was looking for it in the supermarket but it was nowhere to be found. But I ended up finding Heston' mulled cider which I already enjoyed last winter. And it's 'oooh, so delicious'. 

Next step is though to find out how to make it myself as I like a little challenge and learn something new. So I'll be doing a bit of research shortly. But in the meantime I'll stick to this. And you might want to give it a try as well. 

[eye-like-it]

Winchester has a really nice pub! (and other things)

I've been to Winchester on the weekend and firstly, was really impressed by their Park&Ride arrangements. You literally get off the motorway and park up, pay £3 and take the transfer bus into town for no extra money. And get that, there is free wi-fi on the bus. 

Secondly, Winchester is absolutely beautiful and very charming. It's got all of these old buildings and little quirky alley ways. Very nice. Of course, you find the usual high street shops that pretty much every UK city or town features nowadays. But there are a few unique ones. Such as 'CHAR' (http://www.charteas.com/), a shop selling lots of tea. It smells so good when you go into that shop. And you get a friendly welcome from the staff who are so knowledgable. For every tea there is a little sealed jar which you can open to smell the tea which is very good. They've got pretty much everything you could wish for and more. For example 'Green Rooibos Mirabelle' which smelled sensational. A really nice touch they've got taster bags of 10g for £1. I've got a few as I just couldn't quite make a decision on what to have. Bottom line, I can only recommend it!

Oh, and then there are the pubs. Quite a choice but pretty much all of them were packed to the brim when we were in need of some food. But eventually we found a free table in 'No 5 Bridge Street' which was an instant hit with us. The interior has a nice modern touch and when the food arrived, we were even more for yourself. I had pulled pork burger with triple fried fries and BBQ sauce. Very delicious. 

To top it off we found two really nice shops in Parchment Street. One, Ocean Drive Design (http://oceandriveliving.co.uk/)  offering lovely interior design from one of Denmark's design brands 'SKAGERAK', although it's a bit on the pricey side.

And then the 'Bodega Deli' where I bought wild boar ravioli (now in my freezer) and I can't wait to eat them. So, my conclusion of a day out in Winchester - I'll be back!

[eye-like-it]

Let the sun shine!

With some new furniture. And as I'm favouring mustard yellow at the moment I treated myself to this beauty. The official name of the colour is 'Chartreuse' and I got it from a brilliant online shop - www.bluesuntree.co.uk - which a friend of mine found a while ago. Amongst other contemporary furniture they offer lots of design classics for very reasonable prices such as this DAW Chair in ABS which you can buy for quite a bit more money from Vitra. But I'm quite happy with my replica and believe me, it is comfy!

[eye-like-it]

Love my new cushion I got from Bloomingville* which is made of recycled fabric with customised print on it! There is now a UK online store as well - http://www.bloomingvillestore.co.uk/ - but such things as the cushion and furniture you can't get there as there all small finds by the owner. One more reason to just drop into the shop in Chichester which is one of my guilty pleasures. 

[eye-like-it]

The Red Cups are Back!

And I love it. Had my first eggnog latte this week. With cream and nutmeg of course!

[eye-like-it]

'SHARE' is a new magazine in Germany which has been published in July this year and I have absolutely fallen in love with it. It's a magazine that focusses on everything relating to sharing and living a more sustainable lifestyle. All in the sense of 'Sharing is Caring'.

So far there has only been one issue but they've got a great website [www.lets-share.de] where you can even participate yourself. It's only available in German which is a bit of a shame but I hope that the idea will spread and similar magazines will be published also in non-German speaking countries. 

Here are some links that I found really great or have been using myself already:

Worldwide

www.coursera.org --- a platform where top universities offer free online courses on a wide variety of topics. They last 4 - 12 weeks and I've already enrolled to one myself. And it's great!

www.vayable.com --- guided experiences in over 600 destinations worldwide. Some of them are quite pricey but there is something for everyone. 

www.skillshare.com --- again, not entirely free as the online courses cost money. However, the stuff on offer is great and the prices are very reasonable. 

http://thesuspendedcoffees.wordpress.com/ --- A movement set up to support other people. When you buy your coffee, soup or sandwich you simply pay for a second one which a person in need can then get in the participating shops. Even a shop in Chichester is participating - the bakery and coffee shop 'Whipped and Baked' (https://www.facebook.com/whippedandbaked?hc_location=timeline)

UK

http://www.carpooling.co.uk/ --- this is the equivalent to the German www.mitfahrgelegenheit.de which enables individuals to offer lifts across the country or even daily commuting. I even made my way from the UK to Germany in that way!

http://www.landshare.net/ --- A website that's been launched by River Cottage to bring together people who love home-grown food and either have land to offer or those who don't but want to grow things. 

[eye-like-it]

'Orange & Almond Stuffed Pork with Sweet Potato & Rose Harissa Mash'

[eye-like-it]

Dinner at Mine (yes, another cookbook)

I've got a new favourite book (at least for now). And that's a cookbook. Surprise, surprise!

In fact, I was surprised that 'Dinner at Mine' became a favourite. I got it for my birthday and liked the design of it. However, I've never heard of the author Annie Nichols nor her blog 'Hot Meals Now' [http://www.hotmealsnow.com/AnnieNicholsHotMealsNow.php] before. As I was busy at work I missed to have a proper look at it. But 2 weeks after I got it I had a quiet weekend and made it my Saturday afternoon read. And what a treat I got. I was pleasantly surprised on how the book was laid out and more importantly what delicious menus were presented to me. 

It basically delivers what it says on the cover. 3 courses for 6 people within 1 hour. What I really like though is that the description of the recipe's is written in the order to when you have to do what for each course to be finished within that hour. That's extremely helpful if you do indeed go ahead and do a whole menu. 

I usually pick different things from different books and make them into a menu. But I'm terrible in time planning and so my guests usually end up eating after 9pm. Something I'll definitely have to improve on but shouldn't be an issue now (provided I use the book). 

Now, as I didn't have any guests recently but loved the look of a lot of the dishes, I've picked out a few to make. For example tuna meatballs with baked tomatoes or 'Open Roast Garlic & Field Mushroom Lasagne with Mollica' (p 57, Dinner at Mine). That lasagne was so delicious!!! 

I'm proper impressed with this book as it's also sectioned into the 4 seasons and you get 13 different menus per season. And believe me, not one is like another. 

In addition,at the beginning of the book Annie makes suggestions on what things you should have in your cupboard and fridge and what utensils and equipment you will need. I love the fact that she gave the utensils and equipment 3 different pages, one for the basic cook, the more regular cook and the cook who wants to go to really great lengths when it comes to his or her culinary work. 

And this book will even suit novices as Annie also includes most useful methods and recipes as well which is great if you've never been shown on how to peel a pineapple or do shortcrust pastry. 

I have read a lot of cookbooks and own a fair few myself but this is one that I would happily recommend to any of my friends, no matter if they are experienced cooks or are just about to discover how good home made food tastes. 

And I will now go ahead and cook another recipe 'Orange & Almond Stuffed Pork with Sweet Potato & Rose Harissa Mash' (Photo to follow). 

[eye-like-it]

It's getting cold again... time for those home remedies

... and there are plenty for when that nasty cold has caught you out. May it be hot lemon with honey or chicken soup. Everyone has their own secret or not so secret recipe. I myself came about one 1 1/2 years ago when I was going through one of those phases when I was just reading lots and lots of new blogs. And what I found was that of Nancy Vienneau [http://nancyvienneau.com/blog/] which sounded quite intriguing.

Read this - it consists of Apple Cider Vinegar, Ground Ginger, Cayenne Pepper, Honey and Water. I just had to try it and found that not only does it tastes rather agreeable but also helps. And since then I've got a bottle ready made up in my cupboard and get it out when I can feel that tingle in my throat and feel a bit under the weather. I have to say I can only recommend it. And if you want to try it as well, then head to her blog and make your own home remedy [http://nancyvienneau.com/blog/articles/home-remedy/].

[eye-like-it]

Hooch!!! ... was introduced to me last weekend and I love it. Nice and refreshing! I've now been told by various friends that this was the first real alco pop. Well, I don't mind. It's nice. And although the sun is not as generous those days the days are still warm enough to enjoy a little lemony alcoholic drink. 

[eye-like-it]

Ottolenghi

I've fallen in love with Yotam Ottolenghi. Well, probably more with his food than with him. But nethertheless, he seems a likeable fella when you see him on TV. Last year already I bought his book 'Plenty' and after a recommendation of a friend I've now also can call his newest release 'Jerusalem' mine. And the last two weeks I've only been cooking from those books as all the ingredients are so intriguing and the food is fresh and doesn't lie heavy in your stomach. Exactly the right thing for those warm Summer days. Did you notice...? We have a Summer this year! 

And here is one of my favourites that is a regular on my dinner table as it's easy and non-fuzzy.

Sweet Potato Wedges with lemongrass crème fraîche (from 'Plenty', Yotam Ottolenghi)

Get the following ready for 1 person as a main / for 2 as a starter 

1 sweet potato

olive oil

ground coriander

fine sea salt

baking tray lined with baking parchment

(optional: 1 fresh red chilli, diced; a few coriander leaves)

Dipping Sauce:

1 lemongrass stalk

100g crème fraîche/yoghurt or similar product

zest and juice of 1 lime

25g freshly grated ginger

fine sea salt 

Preheat the oven to 210 degrees. 

Start by washing your sweet potato thoroughly and then cut it lengthways into half. Then half again, so you have 4 quarters and half those again so that you end up with 8 wedges. Place those on your baking tray and brush them with about 2 tbsp of olive oil. I like to rub the oil onto the wedges with my hands. This way it really gets everywhere even though it's a bit messy. Then scatter about 1 tsp of ground coriander and 1/2 tsp of salt over it. 

Place in the oven and roast for 25 minutes or until the wedges are tender and have slightly browned. 

Whilst the wedges are roasting prepare the dipping sauce by very thinly chopping 1/2 stalk of lemongrass (I usually put more in as I like the taste of lemongrass) and add the grated ginger, lime zest, lime juice and salt and mix all together. Have a little taste and season more to your taste. 

Once the wedges are ready, remove from the oven and place on a plate. If you want, you can now sprinkle with some coriander and chilli. I generally cut that out and just have it with the sauce. 

[eye-like-it]

I am smitten ...

... by 'Smittenkitchen' and the wonderful book the author Deb Pearlman has created. I've been following her blog of the same name  for quite some time now [http://smittenkitchen.com/]. I love here beautiful photography and interesting recipes. They might not all be to my taste like last Friday's 'banana, nutella and salted pistachio popsicles' - well, I don't really agree with mixing banana with any other ingredient. But the majority of recipes looks really appetising over the years I've already tried a few. 

So I was more than excited when I read that she was to publish her own cookbook. As usual though, it took a bit longer to come to the UK. Mainly, because they took the time to kindly adjust the measurements for the European continent which makes things much easier during preparation. 

And with that I ordered my own copy back in April and since then been trying out quite a few things. And so far my absolute favourite is the Chocolate Raspberry Rugelach. 

Rugelach is a traditional Jewish food which can be found all over New York and is a pastry made with either cream cheese or sour cream and then filled with cinnamon, sugar, dried fruit, nuts, marzipan or like in this case a few of these plus raspberry jam and chocolate. 

And here is how you make them. 

For the dough mix together 230g of room-temperature unsalted butter with 230g of cream cheese until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. You can do this with a stand mixer as well as an electric handheld one which I did as I just simply haven't got the space for a nice big machine.

Once fluffy, combine 250g of plain flour and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a separate bowl then add to the butter-cream-cheese mixture on a very low speed until the flour is just about gone. [Be careful, do not overmix the dough!] The next step is a bit tricky but don't be afraid. Spread out some plastic wrap on your kitchen table and then pour your sort of crumbly mixture onto the wrap. Then try to shape it into as much of a flat pack as you can. I did it by folding the wrap from all sides onto the top to compact it and then flattened it down. When the pack is ready fully wrap it and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours. 

Whilst the dough is chilling get ready your fillings. Mix 135 granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. Toast 40g of pecan or any other kind of nuts and finely chop these. Also finely chop 85g of dark chocolate. Just before you start with the putting together warm up 215g of raspberry jam. 

And now comes the fun part. Make sure to properly flour your surface before rolling out the dough. It's worth checking the underside during the rolling out to ensure that it's not sticking to your work surface. I had that issue as there is still some lumps of butter-cream mixture that haven't combined with the flour which is intended. 

Divide the dough into thirds and roll out the first third. Try to roll out the dough as round as you can to a circle with a diameter of around 30cm. Start the assembly by  spreading 2 - 3 tablespoons of the jam onto the circle. Then sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the sugar mixture, 2 tablespoons of the chocolate and 1 tablespoon of the pecans onto it. Very gently press the toppings onto the dough and use a knife to divide it into 16 wedges. 

Now start rolling the wedges from the outside to the inside and transfer to a baking sheet. When all 16 wedges are rolled put the baking sheet into the freezer for 15 minutes. Or if like me you don't have one, the fridge will do as well. 

Whilst the first batch is chilling pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees (160 fan-assisted, gas 4) and get onto the next batch. Proceed as before. 

When the 15 minutes have passed mix 1 large egg yolk with a tea spoon of water and brush the rugelach with the mixture. Then bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. The cooked rugelach should be removed from the baking tray before cooling down as otherwise they will stick to it. 

I've made them a few times by now and they've went down like a storm every single time. So I can only recommend to get your aprons on and invite some friends around for coffee and those beautiful little delicacies. 

[eye-like-it]

DIY'ing - Homemade Storage Cupboard + Cushion

Well, it is almost the end of the Easter weekend and whilst the whole nation was indulging in chocolate eggs and delicious lamb dishes or other scrumptious food I finally finished my long planned project. A home made open cupboard.

I've been struggling to find anything suitable for storing my shoes and (some of) my books in the shops and finally made the decision to do it myself. That was about 2 years ago. And after looking for inspiration on the internet and making a plan I finally went to Ikea to get myself some 'Pränt' boxes. Those usually come with a lid and are made of plywood. However, I decided to put them on their side and not use the lid. Then I put them all together and arranged them as I had planned and filled with all my stuff. Now, plywood is - as you know - just plain beige in colour which isn't that pleasing to the eye. Therefore, since I had these boxes I had planned to paint them and glue some fabric inside to make it fit into the rest of my flat. 

But as usual, days went by and so did weeks, months and now pretty much those 2 years. So it was about time to make a change. So I took the few days off to actually start painting the boxes. A few weeks before I got myself some colour testers from a DIY place to decide on a colour and also got some mustard yellow coloured fabric with dots to go with the other fabric I already had left over from sewing a cushion. 

And so, after two days, two layers of paint on each side, about 4 layers of glue on the fabric and hours and hours of waiting for it all to dry I could finally put it all together again. And here is the result... and I love it! 

For the third type of 'inner lining' I used some grey leather I still had lying around. Good thing is that all materials can be cleaned with a wet cloth when dirty. So ideal for putting any sorts in it. 

Very happy with it now that I've filled it again with all my shoes and books. And as I was on a run I decided to finally finish my knitted cushion. Believe it or not, I've been on and off it since last summer. And now, I've finally knitted the last rows and sewn it all together, finishing touches with the buttons. Happy days!

And now I will lean back and also indulge in my Easter chocolate bunny!

[eye-like-it]

Conscious Collection

Well, I bet every one of you has got a piece from H&M in your wardrobe. And even if it is that cheeky pair of socks or vest top. I myself got quite a collection although nowadays prefer the more grown-up look of their affiliated brand 'COS'. However, I still wander into H&M every now and then to see if anything new and interesting has arrived. Last weekend I got lucky again and stumbled over a blouse with pelicans and apes on it which I quite liked as it's a bit different. 

But it's not only that. It's also different as it is a piece of their 'Conscious Collection'. I've never seen it before. And at the same time I noticed a clothes collection container located at their tills. Not sure when they started introducing this but it sounds like an interesting concept, collecting clothes to reuse or recycle them. And when they are recycled they will either be turned into raw materials or new products. 

That aformentioned blouse for example is made of 60% recycled Polyester and 40% Polyester. Okay, Polyester is not the classiest of materials and I personally prefer cotton but I'm happy to go with that if I see the adorable print on there. (Animal prints are my guilty pleasure!)

Anyway, I quite like the approach H&M is taking there - encouraging people to rewear, reuse, recycle or turn them into energy. (At the bottom of my hear I am an Eco Warrior.) And you can gain from this as well. For every bag you bring in you get a £5 voucher - well, you've got to spend over £30 on your next purchase to redeem that voucher. I guess there had to be a hitch! But still, better than nothing. 

If you want to know more just go to their website http://about.hm.com/AboutSection/en/About/Sustainability/Commitments/Reduce-Reuse-Recycle/Garment-Collecting.html. 

And I will be waiting for the temperatures to rise so I can wear my blouse... What did I hear, predicting snow again for the weekend - at the end of March?