HAPPY NEW YEAR!

To all of you who visited and read my blog, who commented or not, who liked my cooking or not, a big, big "Thank You!" and have a wonderful New Year! Although my hectic life doesn't allow me to write here as often and as much as I'd like, I am grateful to all of you who accompanied me in this adventure and who encouraged me to continue. Here's my wish to you: 
 

"May you get a clean bill of health from your dentist, your cardiologist, your gastro-enterologist, your urologist, your proctologist, your podiatrist, your psychiatrist, your plumber and the I.R.S.

May your hair, your teeth, your face-lift, your abs and your stocks not fall; and may your blood pressure, your triglycerides, your cholesterol, your white blood count and your mortgage interest not rise.

May you remember to say "I love you" at least once a day to your spouse, your child, your parent, your siblings; but not to your secretary, your nurse, your masseuse, your hairdresser or your tennis instructor.

And may we live in a world at peace and with the awareness of God's love in every sunset, every flower's unfolding petals, every baby's smile, every lover's kiss, and every wonderful, astonishing, miraculous beat of our heart."

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Eggplant Mushrooms Vegetable Spread - Zacusca de ciuperci

As part of my periodical "empty the refrigerator" campaign, today I proceeded to the "before New Year's Eve" session and got out the following: 

- 3 medium eggplants

- 3 bell peppers

- 3 10oz boxes of pre-cleaned sliced mushrooms

- 2 large yellow onions

- 4 large garlic cloves

To these I added vegetable oil, 2 bay leaves, salt, freshly ground black pepper, hot paprika or chile pepper (if desired), 1 tablespoon tomato paste, about 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce 

Ca parte a campaniei mele periodice de golit frigiderul, in cadrul sesiunii de azi "inaintea Anului Nou", am scos urmatoarele:
- 3 vinete medii
- 3 ardei grasi
- 3 cutii a aproximativ 300 gr de ciuperci, gata curatate si feliate
- 2 cepe mari
- 4 catei maaaari de usturoi
La astea am adaugat ulei, 2 foi de dafin, sare, piper negru proaspat macinat, paprica de ardei iute (daca doriti), 1 lingura pasta de tomate, cam 1 cana si jumatate de sos de rosii.

First I grilled the eggplants and the bell peppers. My recommendation to you is to use the oven and broil them, otherwise you may have to deal with the nice smoke alarm ;)
By the time I got the camera, the eggplants were grilled, their skin cleaned off, and the flesh put to drain, so I'll show you just the bell peppers, 2 on the grill, the third done already

Coaceti vinetele si ardeii, curatati-i, lasati vinetele la scurs

Chocolate Candy Cookies

I got this recipe from my friend GreenGirl, and I must say it is not only very easy to make, but absolutely de-li-cious!

Am reteta de la Roxana (GreenGirl) si trebuie sa recunosc ca este foarte usor de facut si mai ales delicioasa!

This is what we need: 1.5 cups self-raising flour, 1/4 cup cocoa, 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 package vanilla sugar, 1 egg, 1 egg yolk

Ingrediente: 1,5 cani faina cu agent de crestere, 1/4 cana cacao. 1/4 cana unt, 1/2 cana zahar, 1 pachet zahar vanilat, 1 ou si un galbenus de ou

 

Apple cookies - Fursecuri cu mere

This recipe comes also from Bianca, thank you, my dear! Ingredients: 60 gr sugar, 1 package vanilla sugar, 2 eggs, 100 gr butter, 250 gr flour, 1/2 package baking powder (5 gr), 2 medium apples, confectioners' sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger.

Reteta este a Biancai-21 de pe culinar, careia ii multumesc foate mult! Ingrediente: 60 gr. zahar, 1 zahar vanilat, 2 oua, 100 gr unt, 250 gr faina, 1/2 pachet praf de copt, 2 mere, zahar pudra, nucsoara, scortisoara, ghimbir.

Chop the apples finely

Curatati si taiati merele

Pecan cookies - Fursecuri cu nuca

Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas everyone! This recipe comes from Bianca, and I thank her for it.

So here we have: 125 gr ground pecans, 250 gr all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 100 gr corn starch, 150 gr confectioners' sugar, 2 packages vanilla sugar, one pinch of salt, 250 gr softened butter, cocoa


Ne trebuie: 125 gr nuci macinate, 250 gr faina, 1 lingurita praf de copt, 100 gr amidon, 150 gr zahar pudra, 2 pachete zahar vanilat, un varf cutit sare, 250 gr unt moale, cacao

I put everything in the kitchen robot to do the work for me :D

Am pus totul in robotul de bucatarie

Roasted Potato Leek Soup

• 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
• 4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts, cleaned of all sand (4 leeks)
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup dry white wine, plus extra for serving
• 5 cups chicken or vegetable stock, preferably homemade
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces creme fraiche
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine the potatoes and leeks on a sheet pan in a single layer. Add the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss to coat the vegetables evenly.

Good luck!

Supa toscana - Tuscan Soup (Zuppa Toscana - at "Olive Garden")

Mi-am adus aminte ca n-am mai trecut de multisor pe la restaurantul "Olive Garden" si mi s-a facut pofta de supa lor toscana.

I remembered I haven't been in a while to the "Olive Garden" and I was missing their Tuscan soup. I found a very nice recipe from Maria Apascaritei, and I decided to put it here for you, too.

Asadar: o ceapa mijlocie, maruntita, cam 750 gr cartofi, curatati si taiati cubulete, aproximativ 300 gr carne de carnati proaspeti (carnea scoasa din mat), o lingura de faina, un catel de usturoi dat pe razatoare, oregano, cimbru proaspat, smantana, sare si piper, zeama de lamaie, 2 linguri ulei, 1 lingura unt, 250 ml lapte, 3 litri apa sau supa de legume

So: one medium onion, finely chopped, about 1.5 lbs potatoes, cleaned and cubed, about 3/4 lbs Italian sweet sausage (casings removed), one tablespoon flour, one garlic clove, grated, oregano, fresh thyme, sour cream, salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 cup milk, 3 quarts water or vegetable stock

Tasmin Archer

I get the chills everytime I hear this song...

Chiftele - Meatballs

Fiica-mii ii plac teribil de mult, si nici nu-s mare inginerie. Se fac repede si se pot asorta la orice garnitura. Puteti folosi orice fel de carne, eu am folosit asa:

- 250 gr carne de porc tocata
- 250 gr carne de vita tocata
- 1 legatura de ceapa verde, maruntita
- 2 catei de usturoi, dati pe razatoare
- 2 oua
- 1 morcov mic, ras
- cimbru uscat
- patrunjel uscat
- sare, piper dupa gust
- foarte putin sos iute
- o lingura sos Worcestershire
- faina
- ulei pentru prajit

These are my daughter's absolute favorites, she eats them like candy. They are very easy to make and go with basically any side dish. You can make them with any type of meat, this is what I used:

- 1/2 lb ground pork meat

- 1/2 lb beef ground meat

- 1 bunch scallions, finely chopped (can be replaced with shallots or 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped)

- 2 garlic cloves, grated

- 2 large eggs

- 1 small carrot, grated

- dried thyme

- dried parsley

- salt and pepper to taste

- a dash tabasco sauce

- one tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

- flour

- oil to fry

Stuffed Jumbo Shells with Arrabbiata Sauce - Scoici umplute in sos Arrabbiata

Pentru ca nu aveam ce face dupa ce tocmai curatasem aragazul, si fiind se pare putin masochista din fire, m-am apucat sa comit aceste paste, care au iesit in final foarte bune.  Iata ce am folosit eu:

Because apparently I had nothing better to do after just cleaning the stove top, I started preparing these pasta, which turned out just great. This is what I used:

 

 In traducere:

• 18 scoici
• 1 lingura ulei de masline, plus extra pentru uns
• 90 gr pancetta, pe care eu am inlocuit-o cu bacon
• 1 lingurita de piper rosu, zdrobit
• 2 catei de usturoi, maruntiti
• 2,5 cani sos marinara
• 450 gr branza ricotta
• 2/3 cana parmezan ras, eu am inlocuit cu aceeasi cantitate de Pecorino romano
• 2 galbenusuri ou
• 1,5 lingura patrunjel proaspat tocat
• 1.5 linguri busuioc proaspat tocat
• 3/4 lingurita sare
• 1/4 lingurita piper negru proaspat macinat
• 1/2 cana mozzarella rasa

• 6 ounces (1/2 box) jumbo pasta shells (approximately 18 shells)
• 1 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for greasing baking sheet
• 3 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, diced, which I replaced with bacon
• 1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 1/2 cups marinara sauce
• 1 (15-ounce) containers whole milk ricotta cheese
• 2/3 cups grated Parmesan, I replaced it with Pecorino Romano
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 1 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh mint leaves
• 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Pilaf sarbesc - Serbian pilaf

Reteta asta este pentru Sandi, stie ea de ce ;)

This recipe is for my friend Sandi, she knows why ;)

Sa incepem cu ingredientele care ne trebuiesc:
- 2 cepe medii, tocate marunt
- 1 ardei gras, taiat cubulete mici
- 2 tije telina, taiate marunt
- 3 rosii potrivite, taiate cubulete
- 1 morcov mare, ras
- 1 mana patrunjel proaspat, tocat
- 1 cana orez
- sare, piper dupa gust

This is what we'll need for this simple and very tasty recipe
-  2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 3 medium tomatoes, finely diced
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 1 handful of fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 cup rice
- salt, pepper to taste

Dinner Rolls - Chifle

Aceasta reteta apartine Laurei, careia ii multumesc inca odata pentru ca a impartasit-o cu noi!

This is Laura's recipe, thank you for sharing it, Laura!



Ingredientele sunt acestea: - Ingredients 

mai concret

- 500 gr faina - 1 lb and 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 lingura drojdie uscata - 1 tablespoon dry yeast
- 1 lingura zahar - 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 lingurita sare - 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 linguri ulei - 6 tablespons vegetable oil
- 300 ml apa calduta - 300 ml lukewarm water
- sare grunjoasa, mac, seminte de susan pentru presarat, ce preferati - kosher salt, poppy seeds, sesame seeds to sprinkle, whichever you prefer
- 1 galbenus de ou, smantana pentru uns - 1 egg yolk, sour cream

Intr-un bol mic amestecati drojdia cu zaharul - combine the yeast and sugar in a small bowl

Snow on the Sahara

Caraway-Cheddar Cheese Crisps - Biscuiti cu branza Cheddar si chimen

Foarte usor de facut, chiar mai usor de mancat:


Very easy to make, even easier to eat

350 gr branza Cheddar data pe razatoare (eu am cumparat-o gata rasa) - 3 cups extrasharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
200 gr faina - 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
113 gr unt moale - 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
jumatate lingurita chimen (eu am pus chiar ceva mai mult, ador chimenul) - 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/4 lingurita sare - 1/4 teaspoon salt


Incalziti cuptorul la 425 grade Farenheit (cam 220 grade Celsius).

Preheat oven to 425F.

Intr-un castron amestecati cu mana toate ingredientele

In large bowl, with hand, knead Cheddar, flour, butter, caraway seeds and salt until blended

Cream of Roasted Bell Peppers Soup - Supa-crema de ardei copti

Ce ne trebuie: - We need:
- 4 ardei grasi spalati, curatati, taiati in jumatati; - 4 bell peppers, cleaned and cut in halves
- o ceapa potrivita - one medium onion
- niste catzei de usturoi, io am pus vreo 4 - 4 garlic cloves
- zeama de legume cam 2 litri - 2 quarts vegetable stock
- putin ulei de masline - some olive oil
- sare, piper (eu am pus rosu) - salt and pepper to taste (I used red pepper)

Mai intai am pus ardeii la copt

First put the peppers to broil on "High"

Am premiu! - My first award!

Woooooooow!

Thank you, Green Girl!

Tarja Turunen - two instances, same beautiful song

Okra and Chicken Breast Stew - Mancare de pui cu bame

Foarte, foarte simplu:

Extremely simple:

- 1 ceapa medie, tocata - 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 linguri ulei de masline - 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 500 gr bame (eu am avut congelate) - 1 lb frozen okra 
- 500 gr piept de pui dezosat si dezpielitat, taiat bucati potrivite - 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut in medium pieces
- suc de rosii, sare si piper dupa gust - tomato juice, salt and pepper to taste

Tocati ceapa - chop the onion

Intr-o cratita incingeti uleiul la foc potrivit, adaugati ceapa, sarea si piperul, lasati-le sa se inmoaie putin, apoi adaugati pieptul de pui taiat in bucati potrivite, lasati totul la inabusit 10-15 minute

In a pan heat the oil over medium heat, add the chopped onion, salt and pepper, allow to soften a bit, then add the cut chicken breast, let everything cook for 10-15 minutes

Cream of Celery Root and Potatoes Soup - Supa crema de telina si cartofi

Ingrediente:

We need:

 

- 3 cartofi medii - 3 medium potatoes, peeled
- 1 ceapa mare - 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 radacina telina - 1 large celery root
- 2 frunze proaspete de salvie - 2 fresh sage leaves, chopped
- thyme proaspat - 1 fresh thyme sprig
- smantana lichida - 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 litri supe de legume (sau de pui) - 3 quarts vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
- patrunjel - parsley (dried or fresh)
- sare, piper dupa gust - salt and pepper to taste

Tocati ceapa, cartofii, telina

Finely chop the onion, dice the potatoes and celery root