For this Tasty Tuesday, Jamie's lavish Christmas Cake, enjoy!

|

As always Jamie, with a rice pudding, with a twist namely the plum compote

|

For ever my inspiration, Jamie Oliver. I have upgraded his classical bread recipe with some mashed potatoes, sesame seeds and lots of pepper. The result? Gone :)

|

Jamie Oliver has a very similar recipe under here with the one I use, except I love beef instead of pork. Enjoy!

|

On a cold winter evening all you need is creamy mashed potatoes, horseraddish sauce and a nice piece of boiled beef. Pure delight and warmth from within!

|

Ingredients:
350 gr boiled potatoes
500 g flour
1 package yeast
1 tablespoon salt
140 ml warm water
1 spoon olive oil
Sesame seeds

Working time: 25 mins
Baking time: 40 mins
Rest period: 1 hour

How to:
Mash the potatoes or use a machine. Mix them well with the flour, add the yeast and salt. Then add slowly the oil and warm water and use a mixer till you get a homogeneous dough. Let it rest for 30 minutes.
Split the dough in 12 little breads, sprinkle some sesame seads on top. Cut a cross and them let them rest for 30 minutes.
Bake them for 25 minutes at 190°C

ENJOY!

|

Sometimes there are days when you actually want to end up on a quiet beach with a nice cocktail in your hand and do nothing but breathe. Today is such a day, and I was thinking of Lanzarote, sun and Mai Tai.

 

The Perfect Mai Tai

Ingredients

 2 cups light rum

 1 cup dark rum

 1 cup 151 proof rum

 1 cup orange curacao (orange flavored liqueur)

 1 cup almond flavored syrup

 1 cup simple syrup

 10 limes, juiced

 1/2 gallon fresh orange juice

Directions

 

In a large jar or drink cooler, combine the light rum, dark rum, 151 rum, orange liqueur, almond syrup, simple syrup, and lime juice. Stir and top off with orange juice. Do not use grenadine if you want the true Mai Tai! Serve in 8 to 12 ounce glasses with ice.

 

Recipe from here

|

A new tasty recipe here

|

Interested? If yes, recipe is to be found here! Enjoy.

|

At the moment I suffer from some serious headaches, which forced me to stay home, rest my eyes and try to relax. Being home means that I don't walk much so I tend to eat less but healthy. Gina, from SkinnyTaste is always good for an inspiration, and this morning I tried this delicious recipe, with a mango instead of blueberries. I was thinking for lunch of milk rice, do you know what I mean?  Happy Tuesday, I will try to rest, promise!

|

Such a cold wet grey winter day, so the only recipe which came into my mind is the one for a hot grog.

Ingredients:

2 ounces dark rum
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon brown sugar
4 ounces hot water
1 cinnamon stick
1 slice orange
Optional: aniseed, vanilla

Mix all the ingredients in a mug and garnish with a cinnamon stick and a slice of orange.

Picture from here

STAY WARM!

|

Since the beginning of the year I have to admit that I have lost my writing mojo. I am no longer following the GBE2 or The Writers Post weekly themes since I don't find anything worth writing. I seem to be lost in finding a starting point for my blogging.

The weekly themes are going because to be honest they became dear to me. I do find inspiration in my weekly quotes, cooking is fun, I have thousands of picture which could be shared both for the Wordless Wednesday and for the Green Friday weekly topics. But maybe this should be changed, since “When patterns are broken, new worlds can emerge.” 

But something is missing ...

My blog is becoming impersonal somehow and I don't know how to overcome this situation. Deep down I hope that I will find my mojo and be able to write stories again, because in the end this is THE STORY, right?

Feeling passionate and motivated every day for my blog is not easy, but I guess we all experience this at one point. 

What I decided is to take one day at a time, by setting small goals for my blog in order to keep me focused and my mind alert; and my hope is that before I know it, I will write ...

BELIEVE, right? And plus I managed the first GBE2 entry for 2013, small achievement indeed!

|

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/2 cups water
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 can (13.5 ounces) cocount milk
1 pound skinless red snapper fillets
3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
Lime wedges, (optional)

Directions

Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, red-pepper flakes, and coarse salt; cook until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add water and thawed frozen corn kernels. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer until corn is tender, 4 to 5 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer 1 1/2 cups corn and onions to a blender. Add coconut milk; blend until smooth.

To pan, add red snapper fillets. Simmer until opaque throughout, about 5 minutes. Return corn puree to pan. Break up fish with a spoon; heat until just warmed through (do not boil).

Remove from heat; stir in 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro. Serve immediately with lime wedges, if desired.

My dinner tonight, recipe from here

|

Ingredients:

2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted

Topping Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Combine crumbs, brown sugar and butter. Press into an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan.

2. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.

3. In a saucepan, bring butter and brown sugar to a boil over medium heat; boil and stir for 1 minute. Pour evenly over crust.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand for 2 minutes.

5. Sprinkle with chocolate chips; let stand until chocolate is melted. Spread evenly over top; sprinkle with pecans. Cool completely before cutting.

Recipe from here

|

Ingredients
Cookies:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 lemon, zested
Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 lemon, zested
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cookies:

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

Glaze:

Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours. Pack the cookies into a decorative container.

|

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup finely chopped Diamond of California® Pecans, optional
Colored sugar, optional

Directions
In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugars and oil. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add flour, salt, baking soda, cream of tartar and cinnamon. Stir in the pecans if desired. Cover and refrigerated for 3 hours or until easy to handle.
Roll into 1-in. balls. Place on greased baking sheets; flatten with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. Sprinkle with colored sugar if desired.
Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes or until set. Yield: about 8 dozen.

|

From time to time I reflect upon the question: why do I blog? There are moments (like now when I lost 3 followers and I do not know why!) and I wonder if I should keep on going. I have good reasons, I love to write (and being part of great writing groups like GBE2 gives me a great opportunity to improve it), I enjoy reading comments, I like visiting other blogs and see what happens around me. But then I think if my work brings joy or happy moments, maybe even sad thought? For blogging you need an audience, it is not a private journal for your eyes only. So let me ask you, my dear readers, what do you like here on The Story? Shall I continue with the weekly specials like Quote Monday or Tasty Tuesday? What about Wordless Wednesday? One thing is sure Green Day will always be publish on Friday, I simply love Fiona's idea. Can you give me some hints? Some constructive feedback? Thank you in advance and please rest assure, the motivation to write is still there, just a small doubt lurks around. Happy Saturday, I am off to the local Christmas market :)

|

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/3 cup coarse or sanding sugar (optional), for decorating
Directions

In a food processor, combine butter, confectioners' sugar, and salt; process until smooth. Add flour and pulse just until combined. Form dough into an 8-inch-long round or square log; wrap tightly in plastic and freeze until firm, 30 minutes (or up to 1 month).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Cut dough into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Dip edges in sugar if desired and transfer to two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until cookies are golden brown around edges, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cookies cool 5 minutes on sheets. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Recipe from here

|

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Assorted candies, sprinkles, or colored sugars, for decorating (optional)

Directions

In large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; beat until combined. Divide dough in half; flatten into disks. Wrap each in plastic; freeze until firm, at least 20 minutes, or place in a resealable plastic bag, and freeze up to 3 months (thaw in refrigerator overnight).

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment. Remove one dough disk; let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Roll out 1/8 inch thick between two sheets of floured parchment, dusting dough with flour as needed. Cut shapes with cookie cutters. Using a spatula, transfer to prepared baking sheets. (If dough gets soft, chill 10 minutes.) Reroll scraps; cut shapes. Repeat with remaining dough.

Bake, rotating halfway through, until edges are golden, 10 to 18 minutes (depending on size). Cool completely on wire racks. To ice cookies, spread with the back of a spoon. Let the icing harden, about 20 minutes. Decorate as desired.

Recipe from here

|

Hurry down here for the recipe!

|