Collected Works

Hi Y'all,

Blogspot (or Google) will change their surface to make it easier to manage it on mobile devices. I am testing that right now (although on my laptop), and after a bit of a search where I can create a new post, it works somehow. But the font I usually use looks weird now, therefore, I take another.

Well, then let me collect all my treats I produced, but which didn't make it into a post due to not fitting the theme - until now.

My first making is this blueberry yoghurt cake - not overly sweet and perfect for freezing. I like that very much - thus, I can bake in advance, and if I am hit by lazy fever, I only need to thaw… Moreover, me (and my scales) prefer dry or sponge cakes over heavy cream cakes. 

In case you have to impress someone, I would definitely recommend this Nutella star. Simply cut circles from store bought puff pastry (or does anybody really make it at home???), coat it with Nutella and stack it. Then cut it like a cake but not all the way into the center, and then twist each two segments into opposite directions and bake it. This is the pretty result:  

You could do that with salty dough and pesto as well, mighty yummy! 

In principle, I like to combine the pleasant with the useful, or let's say I am not against a dish that is tasty without a ton of calories. Therefore, I try Weight Watchers recipes from time to time, but I have to admit not all things are recommendable, and you have to look very closely. But these guys here will definitely find their way into my repertoire: muffins from oats and apples, only. Add a little vanilla extract (I make mine from vanilla beans and vodka), a pinch of cinnamon and water, and that's it. Dust them with a bit of powdered sugar and enjoy! 

Did I mention my kraut pizza - you know, I'm German - I know all jokes about Krauts... :-) Anyway, I planned a one pot dish with cabbage and minced meat, but hubby detests soups and wanted pizza instead. Well, to avoid a hangry man, I made a pizza crust, left out the tomato sauce and fried the cabbage with the ground beef and sour cream. Topped it off with some grated Emmental cheese, and he dug in!

Of course this is more suitable for fall or winter times, and I am well aware that this is neither a low fat nor a low carb dish… But as always: the dose makes the poison. And for the right balance please welcome Popeye's favorite lasagna variation - vegetarian, relatively low-fat and with lots of spinach. 

We just had it yesterday, due to the fact that it is done rather quickly, easy to make, and all ingredients are very suitable for stockpiling (in case you use frozen spinach and canned tomatoes). Preparation is really simple: just thaw the spinach in a pan and heat it together with the tomatoes. Add a packet of fat-reduced cream cheese and spice it up with nutmeg, onions, garlic and so on). Then stack the lasagna sheets and the filling alternately into the casserole. Minimalists end with a few teaspoons of cream cheese as last layer, but in my opinion a healthy dose of shredded cheese can do no harm! And as the filling is already cooked, it only takes 20 minutes in the oven, and it's finished.

Let's close with something sweet:

A cherry pie! Very simple with a (vegan) sponge base, which I made in advance and put in the freezer some time ago. I had a glass of cherries in my pantry but no red glaze. Instead I used some vanilla pudding powder (in Germany we seldom use the instant Jello pudding powder which only has to be whisked into some liquid; we stick to Dr. Oetker's pudding powder that has to be cooked on the stove). I substituted the necessary milk with the cherry juice, and it turned out really well. I knew that trick from an apple pie recipe, where you replace the milk by cider or white wine - I truly recommend trying that!

In theory I could - when all of the food went the path of everything earthly - now write something about a home made toilet cleaner, but I will save that for a separate post :-)

Enjoy your second half of the week and watch out for the second wave!!!