Zucchini Pasta

I am generally not a fan of foods pretending to be other foods for health or shock value. In general if you want to eat pasta….......then eat pasta; but this is kind of an exception to my rule. This way of preparing zucchini is called pasta because it looks like pasta and the texture can really fool anyone! It goes really good with pretty much any kind of pasta sauce but I have found out that it tastes better with a simple butter-cheese or tomato sauce, something that is not to heavy or chunky...... but my son loves it with a good old bolognese sauce too!! You could also use it as pasta replacement in a salad pasta for a summer BBQ, the texture and mild taste really works with anything! I didn't add any sauce recipe because I believe that if you are trying this for the first time it is best to make a sauce that you are used to, this way you'll get used to the idea of eating "fake" pasta easier!

I usually use one zucchini per person but you can use more or less depending on what you are making. Some people don't even bother boiling the "noodles", this tastes good too (it is a bit more crunchy and with a stronger taste), if you want to give it a try all you have to do is slice the zucchini, salt them for 20 minutes and rinse to soften them. 

Ingredients:

• Fresh Zucchinis 
• Water to boil
• Salt to taste
• Any pasta sauce you like

Directions:

1. Use one medium large zucchini per person. Wash it thoroughly and pat dry.
2. If you have a mandolin this will be perfect for the job, but if you're like most people, you probably don’t have a mandolin, so you can either use a vegetable peeler or a knife. The peeler method will give you long flat noodles, and with the knife you'll have to work a bit more: just cut the zucchini into thin slices, stack up, and cut again lengthwise into thin strips.
3. Boil some salted water, and add the zucchini noodles to the water to cook for about 1-2 minute. I have found that cooking them a bit longer works great for kids but for adults 1-2 minutes is more than ok.
4. Take out and immediately and blanch in cold water to prevent over cooking (The hot sauce will heat up the noodles sufficiently)
5. That's it, serve with your favorite pasta sauce and enjoy!

Kiddie Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls......just thinking about them turns my mouth into water! I think they are the ultimate comfort sweet snack, but most of the times I find them a little bit to big, not that there's anything wrong with big portions of really nice food, but sometimes I prefer a lighter snack. These little rolls are the right size for a kid and great as grown -ups dessert too! I love them nice and warm out of the oven but cooled they are also really good! I have added the "I have a lot of time and don't mind making MY OWN rolls" recipe too, but believe me, a pre-made can of rolls works just as good!

Ingredients:

• 1 can Crescent Rolls (yes, you could make your own dough but the pre-made ones are really good)

Cinnamon Filling:

• 1/2 cup  softened butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Vanilla Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoons heavy cream (or 2 tablespoons milk + 1 tablespoon butter)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 200 C. 
2. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in the bottom of a baking dish. Add the brown sugar to the butter and stir to combine. 
3. Unroll crescent dough together to create one big sheet. Spread with remaining softened butter. 
4. Combine white sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the buttered dough. Roll the dough back up into a log, and cut into 6-8 cinnamon rolls (you could even make them smaller for the little ones).
5. Place rolls in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with any remaining cinnamon sugar. 
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes. 
7. With a fork, stir together sugar, cream, and vanilla until smooth and pourable. Add one tablespoon of milk if needed to thin. If using milk and butter instead of cream, heat the milk and butter in the microwave to melt the butter, then add to the sugar and stir in vanilla.
8. Top with vanilla glaze and serve warm.

**Here is the recipe to make the rolls from scratch, it takes some time but it is not hard to do. Once the dough is ready you can use the cinnamon-sugar filling and the Vanilla Glaze to prepare them (although you might have to double the amounts), have fun!!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk (heated approximately 1 minute in microwave)
• 1/4 cup warm water 
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 2 eggs, room temperature and beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 5 cups bread flour
• 3 teaspoons instant active dry yeast
• Cinnamon Filling (see recipe above)
• Vanilla Frosting (see recipe above)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl combine all the ingredients in the order given except the Cinnamon Filling and the Butter Frosting. Mix everything together until a soft dough forms.
2. Check the dough. It should form a nice elastic ball. If you think the dough is too moist, add additional flour (a tablespoon at a time). The same is true if the dough is looking dry and gnarly. Add warm water (a tablespoon at a time). If you can't judge your dough by looking, stick your finger in and feel the dough. It should be slightly tacky to the touch.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly-oiled surface and knead until elastic, approximately 10 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until double in size. 
4. Butter a baking pan; set aside.
5. After dough has risen, roll and stretch the dough into a rectangle.
6. Brush the 1/2 cup softened butter (listed in Cinnamon Filling) over the top of the dough. Sprinkle Cinnamon Filling over the butter on the prepared dough. 
7. Starting with long edge, roll up dough; pinch seams to seal.
8. With a knife, cut the roll roll into small sections.
9. Place cut side up in prepared baking pan, flattening them only slightly. 
10. Allow them to warm and rise for up to 1 hour. The unbaked cinnamon rolls should not touch each other before rising and baking. Do not pack the unbaked cinnamon rolls together.
11. Bake for 20-25 minuttes at 200 C

Tip: Before cutting the roll you can cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight to make it easier to cut it into sections(I've actually made them two days in advance) or frozen for 1 month. If frozen, before baking, allow rolls to thaw completely and rise in a warm place. 

Baked French Toast

Sunday Breakfast renewd: old fashioned French Toast that can be prepared in advanced and then popped in the oven at the last minute; lazy weekend food doesn't get any easier!

This is one of the "I'm to tired to spend a lot of time in the kitchen" kind of recipes, you can mix all the ingredients and leave it in the fridge overnight, then put it in the oven and voila: tasty warm breakfast for everyone. You can leave the fruit out or use pretty much any other kind of fruit with it, you could also leave it a little but longer in the oven for some extra crunchiness. This recipe is for a rather large amount of French bread but BELIEVE me, there won't be much over!

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf Crusty bread, cubed (you can use any crusty bread, it will work better than normal bread slices)
• 8 eggs
• 2 cup milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup sugar (you could also use light brown  sugar)
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Topping:

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 stick cold butter in chunks
• 1 cup chopped apples, peaches, apricots or berries

Directions:

1. Grease a medium baking dish with butter. Distribute the cubed bread in it.
2. Mix eggs, milk, cream, sugar and vanilla, whisk good and pour over the bread. Cover and store in the fridge (abything from 2 hours to overnight).
3. In a large blowl mix the flour, brown sugar, cinammon and salt. Add the chuks of butter and mix good without creating a dough, you are aiming for little crumbles of buttery heaven. Store in the fridge (you could use a resealable bag for this).
4. When you are ready to bake the bread preheat the ove to 220 C.
5. Sprinkle the fresh fruit if you are using any and then add the crumble mixture on top.
6. Bake for 45 minutes or a but longer if you want it to be more crunchy.
7. Scoop out and serve with maple syrup (optional).
8. Enjoy!!

Tip: You can add 1/2 cup of Pecans or any other kind of nut to the crumble mixture, I have used rolled Oats also and the result is quite tasty too!

"Drunken" Beans

Frijoles Borrachos or Drunken Beans is another of those typical Mexican Sunday Family recipes. There are a lot of variations of this recipe within Mexico: some people add a few more ingredients and call them Frijol en Chipilin, some don't use beer at all, add more meat to them and call them  Frijoles Charros, these last ones being the most common ones. However the use of beer gives this dish a really good flavor and lets face it: makes it a bit more exotic! The original recipe asks for some chorizo or pork chops but I have left them out to make it a bit lighter. As for the beer, Negra Modelo (a rich dark Mexican beer) is hands down the best beer to use in this recipe, but any other beer will do, preferably a dark one. 

Ingredients:

• 250 gr dry pinto or black beans
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tomatoes finely chopped
• 2 serrano peppers finely chopped (you can also use jalapeños)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• salt to taste
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 can of your favorite beer (negra modelo works best if you can get it)
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 150g bacon, chopped
• Enough water to cook the beans (this will depend on how watery you want your beans to get)

Directions:

1. Rinse and clean the beans, making sure to remove any stones they might have.
2. Soak the beans overnight in water.
3. Cook the beans in a low pressure pan for 25 minutes or 2 hours in a normal pan; drain the beans and save most of the water (again it's up to you how much water you use).
4. Heath a skillet or a pan on medium heath and bake the onion till transparent, add the tomatoes, peppers and cilantro.
5. Allow it to cook for a few minutes and add the beer; let it cook for a little while and add the water, season with salt and lower the heath. 
6. Cook for 20-25 minutes.
7. Serve with extra cilantro, onions, chopped peppers or avocado and a wedge of lime.

Lemon Brownies

You know that old saying? "When like gives you lemons...............'' make lemon brownies! :)

I know that chocolate brownies are pretty much heaven on earth but this lemon little pieces of clouds will give them a run for it! They are really tasty and moist and the glaze is to die for! Plus if there is anyone out there (and I can't believe I am about to write this!) who does not like chocolate this is a really good alternative! They are great for a lazy summer afternoon

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup  sugar 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Lemon Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice 
• 8 teaspoons lemon zest 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C and prepare a medium baking dish.
2. In a large bowl mix the butter, flour, sugar and salt.
3. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, lemon zest and lemon juice. Pour into the flour mixture and combine good untill creamy.
4. Pour the batter in the greased baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Allow it to cool.
5. Pepare the glaze just when you are sure the brownies are cooled: sift the powdered sugar, add the lemon zest and juice and whisk together. 
6. Spread over the brownies generously and allow it to harden (you can do this in 2 steps allowing it to harden in between, this way you'll create a really nice coat).
7. Cut and serve.

Note: the only thing you really need to be careful with is not overbaking the brownies, that is a common mistake, it is better to take them out a little earlier and allowing the heath within to do the rest than ending up with little bricks! 

Potato Salad

There are some things in life you cannot miss and a really creamy and tasty potato salad is one of them! This salad is bursting with flavor mainly thanks to the mustard; the original recipe called for Dijon, but I am a firm believer that everything in life is made better with whole-grain mustard. But if you prefer Dijon feel free to substitute it back, the end result will be pretty amazing too!!

Ingredients:

• 750g  pounds medium red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed
• 8 pickle spears chopped
• 1/2 medium red onion, chopped 
• 2/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
• 2 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 30 minutes (you can check this by pricking the potatoes with a fork. If the fork goes in fairly easily then they’re done). Drain and cool slightly. 
2. While they’re still warm, cut potatoes into chunks and transfer to large bowl with the onion and pickles.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the mayo, mustard, vinegar and dill and then pour the dressing over the potatoes. 
4. Season potato salad to taste with salt and pepper.

Tip: you can prepare the vegetables and dressing separately a day before and then combine an hour before serving.

Apricot Crumble

I found myself once again having some left over fruit, this time apricots; my little one decided he likes the way apricots look but he refuses to eat them, so here I am with my bag full of apricots! I decided not to make jam -mainly because I still have some left from last time he made me buy some, and seeing how much he seems to like oats what better way to combine this two ingredients than a nice sweet crumble? Plus the Eurocup is starting and tomorrow we'll be cheering for Holland so I thought: Apricots, sort of orange= football dessert!!

Ingredients:

• 16 fresh apricots
• 2 tablespoons sugar (once again I used light brown sugar and you can use a bit more if the apricots are not so sweet)
• 125g all purpose flour
• 100g sugar (light brown sugar or half and half)
• 100g rolled oats
• 50g ground almonds (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 175g unsalted butter, at room temperature but not to soft

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C.
2. Cut the apricots in half, remove the kernels and then in halves again, this way you end up with nice think pieces that will cook and turn into almost jam in the oven. Arrange them in a deep baking dish (you can also use individual baking dishes).
3. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining dry ingredients together, then mix in the butter. The result should resemble coarse crumbs. If it feels a bit dry add a little bit of butter, or more oats/flour if it feels to wet.
4. Sprinkle the crumble over the baking dish and bake in the over for 25-30 minutes or until golden. (and here's the part where I let you in my little secret, after the cruble has beenin the over for at least 15 minutes I add a bit of cold butter on top and let it do its magic! ). 
5. Serve with some whipped cream or ice cream.

Tip: I found that the best way to mix the butter to create the crumble is first a little bit with your hands and then with a wooden spoon, this way you don't over soften the butter and turn it into a dough. 

Wrapped Spicy Chicken

Chicken filled with cream cheese and jalapenos, rolled and wrapped in bacon, then grilled to perfection. Sounds good? Well it  is!!! This is a great appetizer but it can make a great main dish or BBQ treat too! It is extremely simple to prepare and as always it can be easily adapted to your needs/taste. You can leave out the jalapenos or skimp a bit and use some fresh chives, spring onions or basil instead.

Ingredients

• 3 chicken breast in halves and flattened 
• 200g softened cream cheese
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (you can also use pickled ones)
• 8 slices bacon cut in half

Directions

1. Dab 1/2 teaspoon (more or less) of cream cheese on top of each chicken tender. Sprinkle a scant 1/4 teaspoon of peppers over cream cheese. 
2. Fold or roll chicken to enclose cream cheese mixture. Wrap each roll with one piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick.
3. Grill until bacon is brown and crispy on both sides and chicken is cooked through.

Tip: Try flattening meat inside a zip-lock bag, it makes the work and cleanup much easier. 

Fish Veracruzana Style

You might have noticed I don't really post a lot of seafood recipes, I like fish but I'm bit picky about it and therefor my family is a bit picky too! So we don't really eat seafood that often.....but one of the ways I do love fish is "Pescado a la veracruzana", this recipe is one of the most famous seafood dishes from the Port of Veracruz on the coast of eastern Mexico. The ingredients and seasonings show a strong Spanish influence and to me is really one of those recipes that are close to my heart. Red snapper is the fish most commonly used for this dish, but any firm white fish fillet will do. In Mexico, the fish is sometimes left whole for this preparation.The original recipe asks for green olives but I don't really like olives so I have left them out, you can add 1/2 cup if you wish. You can also leave the peppers out to make it child friendly or you can add a few more to give it more kick!

Ingredients:

• 6 White-fleshed fish fillets 
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 Onion sliced
• 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 cups tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 2 green bell peppers sliced (optional)
• 1 cup Stock or water 
• 3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano 
• 1 Bay leaf 
• 1 tablespoon capers  rinsed 
• 2-3 Pickled jalapeño peppers (optional), sliced into rounds
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Add the fish, lime juice and salt to a large bowl and marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.
2. While fish is marinating, heat the oil over medium flame in a large pot or skillet. Add the onions and sauté until translucent. Add garlic and continue sautéing for another minute.
3. Add remaining ingredients except for the fish, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes and reduce the sauce a little. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Add the fish fillets and cover them with some of the sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until fish is cooked through, 8 to 12 minutes. 
5. Serve with rice.

Tip: Be careful how much salt you add to this dish. The capers will add their own salt to the sauce, and it is easy to overdo it. Wait until the sauce has simmered for a while before you season it.

Muffin (wo)Man

I love muffins and cupcakes; cakes and cookies are great and all but nothing tops a really yummy and cute muffin (sweet or salty) for me! However, I have to say that I don't really like the boxed ones, sure they are super easy to make and taste good but I find them a bit to average, a made from scratch muffin or cupcake is just a million times better, plus you can save some money by making your own mix!

These recipes for muffin mix are quite simple, nothing fancy to them and you can make it in advanced and storage it in a tight closed container for quite some time, that way you'll always have the basis for some really nice little treats. You can even make the mix and pour it in a glass jar together with some flavor ingredients like chocolate chips or nuts and spices and have it all ready or give it as a nice gift!

I've also added a couple of sweet and salty muffin/cupcake recipes using the basis mix, enjoy!

Muffin Mix
Ingredients: (makes 12 muffins)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar (I use light brown sugar)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients: (you add these the moment you are ready for some muffin action!)

• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil or butter (I prefer oil for the texture but butter is better for the taste: it's up to you)

Banana Oat Muffins/Cupcakes

This are really moist and full of flavor! My son loves them and I really understand why: The banana-chocolate combo is just a winner! I add a teaspoon of nuttela or any other nut or chocolate spread on top before baking, it is -lick-your-fingers good!! 

Ingredients: (apart from the muffin mix & wet ingredients)

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips or rasp
• 12 teaspoons Nuttela (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C.
2. Whisk the egg lightly, add the oil, milk and vanilla and mix together.
3. Add the mashed bananas and combine good.
4. Add the dry ingredients and mix. (basic muffin mix plus oats and chocolate chips)
5. Line a muffin tin with paper bake cups and divide the batter among them.
6. Place a teaspoon nuttela on top of the muffins.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Cheddar Muffins

Usually when we think of muffins our mind immediately goes to some chocolate covered cake or some beautiful blueberry steamy little mushroom shaped treat, but salty ingredients make a great combo for muffin mix as well! My favorite ones are spicy cheddar muffins, they are so tasty and gooey you just can't say no to them!!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter (this replaces the oil in the mix recipe)
• 1 teaspoon paprika powder
• 1 cup cheddar cheese grated
• 1/4 cup jalapeño  peppers chopped (you can use chives or spring onions instead)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C.
2. Whisk the egg lightly, add the butter and mix together.
3. Add the dry ingredients and mix. (basic muffin mix plus cheese and peppers)
4. Line a muffin tin with paper bake cups and divide the batter among them.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Cupcake Mix

Ingredients: (makes 12 cupcakes)

• 150g sugar
• 150g self-raising flour

Wet Ingredients:

• 3 medium eggs
• 150g butter softened
• 2 tablespoons milk
• Few drops of vanilla extract

Cream Filled Cupcakes

In Mexico we can get this little devils in every corner shop, they are called Pinguinos (Penguins) and there is no mexican who does not love them!! But I am far far far away from my lovely pinguinos so obviously I had to find a way to make them! They are rather easy to make and the cream filling is great!

Ingredients: (apart from the cupcake mix and wet ingredients)

• 1 tablespoon and 2-1/4 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup milk (instead of the 2 tablespoons)
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil (to replace the butter)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:

• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon shortening (crisco)
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon butter
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• pinch salt
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons of milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C.
2. Mix together the cupcake mix with the cocoa, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the centre and pour in the eggs, milk, water, oil and vanilla and mix well.
3. Fill each muffin form half full with the batter.
4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool.
5. For the filling beat the butter and shortening together until smooth. Blend in the powdered sugar and salt.
6. Gradually beat in the vanilla and milk until light and fluffy.
7. Fill a pastry bag with a small tip, push tip through either top or bottom of cupcake to fill it up with the cream. If this doesn't work for you, you can use an apple corer to take a bit of the cupcake out and fill it with the cream.
8. For the frosting you can use chocolate ganache or just dip the tops in meted dark chocolate and for the decorating loops use the left over of the cream.

Tip: You can freeze the muffins/cupcakes BEFORE icing them and they'll stay good for up to 3 months. Allow them to fully defrost before decorating them however.