40-MINUTE HAMBURGER BUNS

Burger Buns

 

I just love hamburgers! They are the kind of fun food that just everybody likes. Eating with your hands is a very grounding experience that especially grownups should do once in a while. However, in Europe it is almost impossible to by good buns that taste like the real thing. That is why I found this ultra-quick recipe at Taste of Home. I was skeptical at first, but after a few adjustments I made to the original recipe they come out just PERFECT!!

40-MINUTE HAMBURGER BUNS

Makes 4 buns:
1 Tsp dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (30°)
1/6 cup vegetable oil
1/8 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 Tsp salt
About 2 cups all-purpose flour (more if needed)
2 Tbsp Milk

Preheat oven to 180°C. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water let stand for 5 minutes. In a large bowl heap flour and make a hole in the middle. Add yeast mixture, oil, sugar, egg and salt and enough flour to form a soft dough that is not sticky.
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 3 minutes. Do not let rise. Divide into 4 pieces; shape each into a ball and press them flat. Place 6 cm apart on lined baking sheets.
Cover with a clean dishtowel and let rest for 10-30 minutes (I let it rest for 30 minutes. The dough doesn’t rise a lot, but that is ok.) Bake at 180° for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. The buns rise a lot in this time. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. While still hot brush the buns with milk. This way they will shine as they do at the diner.

MY 5 ELEMENTS CARROT-GINGER SOUP

carrot soup

A heartwarming soup is good for your soul!

MY 5 ELEMENTS CARROT-GINGER SOUP

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 onion, chopped

4 carrots, peeled and chopped into small cubes

2 cm ginger, peeled and chopped

½ chicken bullion cube

½ hand full fresh parsley

Salt, pepper

In a heavy pot heat the olive oil and shortly fry onion, garlic and carrots. Fill with water to cover and add bullion cube, parsley and pepper.  Cook until carrots are tender about 15 minutes, depending on the size of the carrots. Blend with an immersion blender and add water to obtain the desired consistence.  Heat up one more time and add salt and pepper to taste.

AWESOME – RASPBERRY BANANA MELISSA JAM

Marmelade

 

This jam is just amazing. It never reaches my toast because I can’t stop spooning it right out of the glass! I keep on going back to the fridge. Standing there licking the last bit out of another glass of jam, it catapults me directly back to my childhood. Summer kissing my skin, a light summer wind breezing in by face while swinging on a swing hung up in a tree….I don’t know why, but this jam just makes me feel happy!

2000 g raspberries
500 g ripe bananas
500 g 3:1 gelling sugar
2 Tsp citric acid
1 handful fresh melissa

Mix all ingredients in a big pot. Puree fruit-sugar mixture with an immersion blender. Cook for 7 minutes. Fill into sterile jars, close with lid and turn onto lid for 5 minutes in order to generate a vacuum.

TYROLEAN KNOEDEL SOUP

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I just love all kinds of soups. This is a typical Austrian heartwarming spring soup.

TYROLEAN KNOEDEL SOUP

(for 10 small Knoedels)

120 g diced dry white bread (Semmelwuerfel)
2 eggs
80 g ham (cut in 3mm large dices)
50 g onion (diced)
2 Tbsp oil (or butter)
100 ml warm milk
1 Tbsp parsley (chopped)
Salt, marjoram
Good beef broth

In a pan heat oil (butter) and fry ham and onions. In a bowl mix all ingredients together and let sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile bring 3 L salted water to a boil. With wet hands form small Knoedels by rolling and pressing 2 Tbsp Knoedel-mass between your hands. The Knoedels should have a slightly creamy and smooth surface. Put the Knoedels in the boiling saltwater and simmer for about 12 minutes. Take the Knoedels out of the water and place them on plates. Pour hor soup over the Knoedels and garnish with chives.

THIS is a soup!!

SUNNY APRICOT CAKE (LOW FAT)

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I just love apricots! They are just the perfect balance of sweetness and fresh fruity sourness. While biting into an apricot I can literally feel the sun energy the apricot has absorbed. This is why I feel this cake shouldn’t be too heavy.

SUNNY APRICOT CAKE (LOW FAT)

300 g apple sauce
2 Tbsp vanilla sugar
½ Tsp salt
Grated lemon zest from 1 lemon
5 eggs
300g all-purpose flour
2 Tsp baking powder
Apricots (halved and pitted)
Apricot jam

Preheat oven to 160 °C. Line a baking pan with a baking sheet or butter and flour a baking pan of approximately the same size. Mix applesauce, sugars, salt and lemon zest. Add eggs one by one stirring in-between. Mix with flour and baking powder until just combined. Pour into pan and spread evenly (about 2 cm high). Arrange apricots on patter in pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Glaze cake with heated apricot jam. Let cool and cut into squares.

This feels so yummy in my tummy!

SWEET-SOUR GINGER CHILI SAUCE

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Try this exotic Dip for Asian food, fried shrimp- or chicken fingers:

SWEET-SOUR GINGER CHILI SAUCE

 

1 piece ginger (about 2 cm), peeled and grated

2 large mild red chili’s (I used 3 colors of chili’s, looks pretty too) , finely chopped

1 small hot red chili’s, finely chopped

5 garlic cloves, finely chopped

100 ml white wine (or rice) vinegar

200 g sugar

1 ½ Tsp salt

1 Tbsp starch

 

Mix together all ingredients ( except starch) together with 300 ml water into a pot. Simmer for 5 minutes over medium heat. Mix starch in an extra bowl with 1 ½ Tbsp cold water until completely dissolved. Mix dissolved starch into sauce and let simmer for another 2minutes until it thickens. Fill into sterile glass bottles and store in the refrigerator. The Chili-Ginger sauce is stable for a few weeks if kept cool.

SUNNY APRICOT JAM

Preserve the sun in a jar with this sweet-sour jam:

APRICOT JAM

2000 g apricots (really ripe ones)
50 ml Cointreau (orange liqueur or just orange juice)
350 g sugar
3:1 gelling mixture (Dr. Oetker)
2 Tsp citric acid

Mix all ingredients in a big pot. Puree fruit-sugar mixture with an immersion blender. Cook for 7 minutes. Fill into sterile jars, close with lid and turn onto lid for 5 minutes in order to generate a vacuum.

Photo: Preserve the sun in a jar with this sweet-sour jam:

APRICOT JAM

2000 g apricots (really ripe ones)
50 ml Cointreau (orange liqueur or just orange juice)
350 g sugar
3:1 gelling mixture (Dr. Oetker)
2 Tsp citric acid

Mix all ingredients in a big pot. Puree fruit-sugar mixture with an immersion blender. Cook for 7 minutes. Fill into sterile jars, close with lid and turn onto lid for 5 minutes in order to generate a vacuum.

BRUSCETTA

Looking for a light summer lunch that reminds you of the feeling sitting on a terrace looking over a Tuscan summer landscape?

Try my summer BRUSCETTA

Per person

1 chiabatta bun (or any kind of bread, I prefer whole wheat…healthier )
4 Tsp (goat) cream cheese
1 hand full cherry tomatoes (diced) or 1 large salad tomato
1 small garlic clove (crushed)
1 small shallot (diced)
½ hand full fresh basil leaves (diced)
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt, pepper, chili flakes (if desired)

Preheat oven to 180 °C. In a medium bowl mix together tomatoes, garlic, shallot, basil, olive oil. Season with salt and pepper (and chili). Spread goat cheese on bun and top with tomato mixture.
Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until bread is crisp and tomatoes start to brown.

SUMMER FEELING!!

NICI’S COUS-COUS SALAD

Couscous salat

Invited to a summer pick nick or BBQ and want to bring a special side dish but don’t have too much time?

Try this delicious, less than 20 minute recipe for:

NICI’S COUS-COUS SALAD

(Was enough for a party of eight as one side dish)

250 g cous-cous

1 Tsp salt

7-10 Tbsp olive oil

6 Tbsp lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

300 – 400 g cherry tomatoes (diced)

1 leek (or 3 scallions) (cut into thin slices)

1 hand full fresh mint leaves

1 small dried red chili

2 garlic cloves crushed

Salt, pepper

Bring 250 ml water to the boil with 1 Tsp salt and 1 Tbsp olive oil. While stirring mix cous-cous into water, cover and take away from heat. Let sit for about 5-10 minutes, or until cous-cous is tender but firm to the bite. Stir until cous-cous has cooled a bit and won’t lump. Mix with rest of ingredients.

DONE!!! :o)