Very easy to make and eveb easier to eat gingerbread. Perfect for sharing during this time of the year. Its aroma fills the kitchen with welcoming, christmassy, fairy-tale smells.

recipe from Nigella Christmas

for 20x30 cm form

• Butter - 150 g
• Golden syrup - 200 g
• Dark molasses - 200 g
• Brown sugar - 125 g
• Fresh ginger, grated - 2 teaspoons
• Ground gigner - 1 teaspoon
• Cinnamon - 1 teaspoon
• Ground cloves - 1/4 teaspoon
• Baking soda  - 1 teaspoon dissolved in 2 tablespoons of warm water
• Milk - 250 ml
• Eggs, lightly mixed - 2
• Flour - 300 g

- Preheat the oven to 335F (170C).
- Butter the baking form.
- In a medium pot melt the butter together with golden syrup, molasses, sugar, fresh ginger, ground ginger, cinnamon and ground cloves. The mixture should become liquid.
- Take the pot from the heat. add the milk, eggs and soda dissolved in water. Mix.
- In a separate big bowl put the flour, pour the liquid mixture on it and mix until the batter is almost mixed and the flour is incorporated.
- The batter will be very liquid, don't worry! The magic will happen in the oven.
- Pour the batter into a prepared form and bake for 45-60 minutes until the cake is risen and the top is springy to the touch.
- It's important to not overbake the bread or otherwise it'll loose its' stickiness.
- Let the gingerbread cool before cutting into 24 pieces.

I love my meat and especially I love minced meat. Is it something from my childhood when "grownup" meat just wasn't fun? I like meatloaf, but I don't like all the bits of vegetables in it. I just don't think it's right to mix them. Vegetables are vegetables and meat is meat and the two shouldn't mingle together. It's the texture I think... I understand them separately but mixed together? Why? So, when I saw this recipe I knew right away that I have to (no, must) make it since the vegetables and pureed and only then mixed into the meat. This is meal turned out absolutely wonderful with nice smokey BBQ sauce, moist fluffy meatloaf and tangy mashed potatoes.

adapted from Everyday Food magazine

• Carrots, chopped - 3
• Onion, chopped - 1 small
• Panco breadcrumbs - 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon
• Eggwhite - 1
• Ground sirloin - 1 pound
• BBQ sauce - 1/4 cup
• Salt - 1 teaspoon
• pepper - 1/8 teaspoon

- Preheat the oven to 450F (230C).
- In a food processor blend the vegetables, eggwhite and breadcrumbs until the mixture is very smooth.
- In a big bowl combine the ground meat, salt, pepper and vegetable puree. Mix until it's all combined.
- Put the meat into a loaf pan.
- Brush with half of the BBQ sauce.
- Bake for about 25-35 minutes until the internal temperature of the meatloaf reaches 160F (71C).
- Brush the meatloaf with the rest of the sauce.

- For the mashed potatoes: boil the potatoed until tender, mash them, add plain yogurt to get them to the desired consistency, season to taste.

There's really no recipe for this. And I have to admit, but I used a store-bought alfredo sauce (I still feel guilty). Just warm the sauce, add your favourite cheese, spices and herbs. Cut some cooked smoked sausages and mix into the sauce. Add macaroni, mix, put into ramekins, sprinkle with some grated cheese and bake until golden brown.

I don't cook with pumpkin too much, but I'm hoping to change that. Adding this tasty vegetable to a pancake batter not only provides great colour and taste, but also counts as a vegetable serving. Hmmm... if all the vegetables came in such tasteful packages, I'd definately eat more of them.

recipe from Nigella Christmas

makes around 30 pancakes

• Eggs - 2
• Butter milk - 375 ml (+ more if the batter is too thick)
• Pumpkin puree - 1 can (400 g)
• Flour - 250 g
• Sugar - 3 tablespoons
• Baking powder - 1 teaspoon
• Baking soda - 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
• Oil - 1 table spoon plus more for frying

- Put all of the ingredients into a blender and blend for a few minutes until a thick batter forms. You might need to add more buttermilk if it's too thick.
- Alternatively, in a bowl whisk eggs with butter milk until foamy, add the pumpkin puree and mix. Add the rest of the ingredients to a bowl and mix with a spatula.
- Fry the pancakes on a lightly oiled skillet until the bubbles start to pop on the batter, turn the pancakes and fry for 2-3 minutes on the other side.

Comments

- These pancakes can be made a day ahead. Keep them refrigerated and warm in 325F (170C) oven for 20-30 minutes.

Hot chocolate is not one of my regular drinks. I only crave it a few times a year, but when I do, a hot chocolate from a package wouldn't work for me. It has to be a real deal with real chocolate, with froth, cream/milk and flavourings. This recipe is one of the best hot chocolates I've ever tried. It's smooth, it's creamy, it's frothy and aromatic. A perfect treat for a weekday night.

recipe adapted from The Chocolate Deck: 50 Luscious Indulgences by Lori Longbotham

for 2 portions

• Brown sugar - 1/8 cup
• Ground almonds - 1 1/2 tablespoons
• Cocoa powder - 1/8 cup
• Salt - a pinch
• Milk - 1 1/2 cup
• Bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped - 14 g
• Vanilla extract - 1/2 teaspoon
• Cinnamon stick - 1

- In a bowl mix ground almons, sugar, salt and cocoa powder.
- In a small pot warm the milk with a cinnamon stick and chocolate. Stir occationally until the chocolate melts.
- Add 1/2 cup of warm milk into the dry ingredients and mix well to get rid off any lumps.
- Pour the almond-milk mixture into the pot to the milk and bring it to boil.
- Add the vanilla, remove the pot from the heat, cover with a lid and let it steep for 3 minutes.
- Pour the hot chocolate through a fine seive to remove cinnamon stick and ground almond.
- Whip the hot chocolate in a blender or using a hand mixer until it's frothy.

Perfect easy meal for two (or one... I've been guilty of devouring the whole dish by myself), comforting and filling. Cheesy polenta, spicy salty sausage, caramelized onions and sweet peas. This recipe is ideal for experimentation, you can use broccoli or asparagus instead of peas or any other vegetable that you have on hand. Or you can try different kinds of sausages or cheeses. And I am sure that every version will be different and dimagelicious.

recipe adapted from Everyday Food magazine

for 2 portions

• Oil - 1 tablespoon
• Cooked sausages, sliced into bite size pieces - 2
• Onion, sliced - 1
• Frozen peas - 1/2 cup
• Polenta - 1/2 cup
• Cheese (chedder, gouda, goat cheese, even cream cheese would do) - 50 g (or more)
• Salt, pepper to taste

- In a saute pan, heat the oil on medium heat.
- Saute the sausages for a few minutes until they start to get some colour.
- Transfer the sausages to a plate.
- Lower the heat a little and add the onions to the pan.
- Saute the onions until they are soft and caramelized.
- Add the frozen peas to the pan and cook for a few minutes until the peas are heated through.
- Add the sausages withy any juices back to the pan and cook for a minute. Keep warm.
- In a small pot, cook polenta according to the package instructions.
- When polenta starts to thicken, add the cheese and cook a little more until the cheese is melted and the polenta is cooked to a consistency that you'd like.
- Season the cooked polenta to taste.
- To serve, transfer the polenta onto a plate and put the onion-sausage mixture on top.

Simple breakfast

I love simple ice creams. You know, the ones where you don't have to slave over custard and make elaborate fillings or sauces. It seems excessive especially when it's dreadfully hot outside and the thought of spending more than 5 minutes near a hot stove makes you cry (ok, not cry but whimp). But sometimes simple just won't do.

recipe adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

for about 1.5 litres

• Whole milk - 1 cup
• Sugar - 1/3 cup
• Salt - a pinch
• Whipping cream (35%) - 1 1/2 cup
• Egg yolks - 4
• Vanilla extract - 1/2 teaspoon

• Fresh raspberries - 200 g
• Sugar - 45 g
• Pear port - 1 tablespoon

- In a medium pot warm the milk, sugar and salt.
- In a separate bowl whisk the egg yolks until they are thoroughly whisked.
- Slowly add the warm milk to the egg yolks, whisking constantly the yolks.
- Pour the egg-milk mixture back into the pot and cook until the custard thickens constantly whisking.
- Push the cooked custard through a fine sieve.
- Add the custard to the cream, mix.
- Add vanilla, mix.
- Cover the mixture with plastic wrap, let it cool a little and put into refrigerator to cool completely.
- An hour before the ice cream will start churning, put the raspberries in a bowl, add sugar and pear port.
- Mash with a fork until most of the berries are crushed but there are still some whole berries left.
- Refrigerate the raspberry sauce.
- Freeze the ice cream mixture in your ice cream maker following manufacturer's instructions.
- In an ice cream container layer the frozen ice cream and raspberry sauce.

I am one of those strange people who doesn't like muffins too much. I make them, but I prefer cupcakes. It's the texture that I am not a fan of, but savoury muffins are a different story. I absolutely adore them. Soft, warm, gooey and always different. Ham and Cheese muffins. Salmon and Dill. Bacon and Onion. Or... Cheese and Herbs maybe? Why not?

recipe adapted from Muffins cookbook

14-16 muffins

• Flour - 2 cups
• Baking powder - 2 teaspoons
• Baking soda - 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt, pepper, spices to taste
• Sugar - 1/2 tablespoon
• Cheese (chedder, gouda, etc), grated - 100 g
• Herbs (dill, parsley, cilantro, etc), chopped - 50 g
• Egg, slightly whisked - 1
• Plain yogurt - 1 1/2 cup (+ more if the the batter is too thick)
• Butter, melted - 4 tablespoons

- Preheat the oven to 400F (200C).
- Line the muffin tin with muffin cups and oil them.
- Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda together in a large bowl.
- Add the cheese, herbs, salt, pepper and sugar. Mix.
- In a separate bowl whisk together yogurt, egg and melted butter.
- Pour the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture and mix just until it comes together. You might need to add a little more yogurt if the dough is too thick.
- Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tin filling 3/4 full.
- Bake for about 20 minutes until the muffins are golden and risen and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Egg salad is something really simple and sometimes bland. But this version elevates this boring dish to a new level with addition of capers and tarragon mustard.

recipe adapted from The Oprah Magazine Cookbook

• Eggs - 4
• Mayo - 2 tablespoons
• Tarragon mustard - 2 teaspoons
• Lemon salt, lemon pepper - to taste
• Capers, rinsed and chopped - 1 tablespoon
• Green onion, chopped - 1 tablespoon
• Cilantro, chopped - 1 tablespoon
• Dill, chopped - 1 tablespoon
• Thyme, leaves chopped - 3 sprigs
• Toasted bread slices

- Bring a medium saucepan filled three quarters with ater to a boil.
- Add eggs and cool 9 minutes (center of yolk will be slightly creamy).
- Carefully pour off hot water and rinse eggs with cold running water to cool.
- Peel eggs and roughly chop.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients.
- Spread the salad onto toasted bread.