Happy New Year

So, here it is - the New Year!  A blank canvas with lots of plans and resolutions of which the first for me simply has to be to start blogging again more regularly than I have done these last few weeks.  My leg injury didn't exactly help but I guess I've been struggling to find new recipes that would also go with a healthier lifestyle.  Well,  I'll just have to try harder :-)  And the main aim is still to go for easy & tasty recipes but I'll just try and keep them a bit healthier at the same time.  Don't worry - there'll still be plenty of treats :-)

Wishing everyone a very happy, healthy & fun 2014!  Looking forward to sharing many more cooking adventures with you!

Cinnamon Stars - a Christmas biscuit/cookie

It's quite cold and grey outside but cozy at home.  Keith the dog is still active as ever but loves to snuggle up in the evening, especially when we have the fire going in the fireplace.  Outside, at this time of year, he really does blend in quite well with nature :-)

Given that Christmas is getting closer and that this time of year always reminds me of home, I have been baking some traditional German Christmas biscuits/cookies: cinnamon stars or "Zimtsterne" as we call these at home.

These biscuits don't have any flour in them whatsoever, so if you have a problem with gluten, they might be a good alternative to other biscuits.  The dough consists mainly of ground almonds with a lovely hint of cinnamon and the topping is like a meringue.  The end result is a biscuit that's crunchy on the outside but still soft in the middle - delcious on a dark winter's afternoon with a cup of tea!

Cinnamon stars - Zimtsterne

Large chocolate buttons with trail mix

I can't believe it is only a month until Christmas - can't wait!

I have always loved Christmas - for us, it really is all about getting together with loved ones, enjoying some lovely food together and generally having a break.  There are little traditions we have as a family (I am sure most families do), for example, no matter how old we are now, we still have to stand outside the living room door and wait to be called in to admire the tree.  At my mum's, we always have a real tree with real candles - always have done, even when we were all small children.  Needless to say, the candles aren't lit the whole time and never without anyone watching but it just makes it so festive and cosy :-)  And there are always lots and lots of different types of Christmas biscuits/cookies my mum makes for the occasion.  Christmas bakery is very big in Germany and there are some classic recipes like cinnamon stars (Zimtsterne) and other decorated biscuits/cookies.  I will see if I can make some cinnamon stars and share the recipe here - it's a great one as it is gluten free, so watch this space.

Chocolate buttons with trail mix

If you like homemade gifts, then you might enjoy this little edible treat to give away in a pretty jar: chocolate buttons with trail mix.

The ones pictured have the added bonus of protein powder thrown into the mix, making them into little protein treats but they can just as easily be made without.  A quick and easy treat or gift that looks really cute and tastes delicious.

Christmas cake ... it's almost that time of year

Gosh, it has been ages since I posted anything :-(  Being on crutches was definitely not very helpful when it came to cooking but I am pleased to say that I can now walk almost normally and that as of yesterday I don't have to use my sticks anymore!  Hooray!  That in turn means that there will be no holding me back from trying out recipes again and skipping around in the kitchen - well, not so much skipping but you get the idea.

At the weekend I did manage to start making our Christmas cake.  I usually make two cakes - one to take home to the family in Germany and one for us to have when we are back home.  I love this particular recipe as you can make it a few weeks in advance or if pushed for time, a couple of days before Christmas.  I love how the flavours develop when you prepare it ahead of time, so that's what I usually do.  I also use a shallower tin, making a much "flatter" cake than is traditional but I always find that it is quite rich with all that fruit and icing, so smaller pieces are not necessarily a bad thing.  There is a non-alcohol option to this cake, using orange juice instead of brandy (although there is not that much of the latter in there anyway).  The decorations pictured are those from last year - I'm still thinking of what the design should look like this year, so watch this space. 

How to make an easy & tasty Christmas cake

Banana & oat smoothie with a spice twist

Banana & oat smoothie

It's been a few days since my last post.  I've not really been able to do much exploring of new recipes as I sit here with my leg on ice after tearing my calf muscle.  Cooking whilst on strong painkillers is probably not the best idea, so food is pretty basic these days.  I am hoping that I will get back into it soon though as I do miss my little blog and writing about food.

What I can mention though is this delicious idea for when time is tight but you want something nutritious, even on the go: a banana & oat smoothie made with almond milk, a dollop of peanut butter and finished off with a sprinkling of cinnamon and nutmeg.  Whisked up in the blender it makes for a lovely breakfast or snack before exercising.  You can obviously change the ingredients but I think the spices go ever so well with banana and oats.  Yummy!

It's been quite a busy week and I am looking forward to the weekend with Mr Happy Larder and Keith the dog.  There will be some dog walking (in the rain, unfortunately), a visit to friends

Bread rolls

Not so much a recipe today as an idea of how to shape some lovely dinner rolls out of pretty much any bread dough (I used my fluffy white sandwich loaf recipe - see here).

Simply roll out the dough with a rolling pin into a round (resembling a large pizza base) - it should be roughly half a centimeter in thickness.  Then, using a knife or ideally a pizza wheel cut the round into what would look like 12 equal pizza slices/triangles.

Roll each of the pieces up, starting from the widest end and you will get these little "croissant" shapes.  Bake in a hot oven for about 10 minutes or until golden.

Aren't they cute? They'd look lovely in a bread basket when you have guests and go ever so well with soup, pate...you name it.  A nice change from just the usual round dinner rolls.

Spanish tortilla with sweet potatoes & spinach

We've had some epic storms over the last couple of days but luckily, our part of the world appears to have escaped the worst.  I took the dog down to the beach as our usual walk in the park - a park full of old trees - just didn't seem safe.  Keith loved chasing around in the sand despite the rain and eventually the sun came out to say hello. 

I woke up really early this morning - not woken by the storm but by dreaming of scrambled eggs on toast.  It must have made me hungry in my sleep and that woke me up.  I wonder if other people dream of food the way I do - I can smell and taste it even when I am asleep :-)

With a craving for eggs there was only one thing to do - I made a Spanish tortilla for lunch but with sweet potato instead of "normal" ones.  It was delicious and very quick to make, so if you are ever after a fast meal, I can recommend this one.  Plus it's nutritious and filling - can't be a bad thing.  I had mine with a simple tomato & chive salad - yum!  The 2 pieces on the photo are half the tortilla (erm - I ate the rest of it too :-))

Cauliflower pizza...whaaat?

Cauliflower pizza

Isn't it funny how every now and again a new food fad appears out of nowhere?  First, we had goji berries, then chia seeds and now it is the humble cauliflower that is hitting the headlines with even Jamie Oliver making cauliflower "rice".  I must admit I was intrigued when I heard about cauliflower pizza and had to give it a go.  Stop that bandwagon - I am jumping on!

Believe it or not but the result was a really tasty pizza!  I couldn't quite believe it myself, especially since it didn't taste of cauliflower.  The base was probably not quite as crispy as a conventional pizza, so it could have done with a few more minutes in the oven but I was hungry, so I had to have it there and then :-)  

It was very tasty - what a great way to have more vegetables! And you can still have your favourite pizza toppings and freeze the pizza before the final bake if you want to have it another day.  Perfect!

Fruitcake cookies/biscuits

Brrr - it is horribly wet out there!  Feeling very fortunate that after getting soaked on the dog walk first thing this morning we could return to a warm and dry house. 

Fruit cake cookies / biscuits

I guess it is no wonder that I am starting to feel very Christmassy and the recipe I found at the weekend reflects that perfectly: fruitcake cookies/biscuits.  These delicious treats are full of yummy dried fruit and nuts and warming spices - perfect on a cold and/or wet day!  I saw these made on Ina Garten's "Barefoot Contessa" TV show and knew they'd be just the right thing for us: the perfect cookie/biscuit to go with a warming cup of tea :-) 

The dried fruit is best left to soak overnight if you want a stronger flavour and the dough also needs to rest in the fridge to firm up, so best to plan ahead when making these.  They are definitely worth the wait!