Almuerzo para dos~Breakfast for two and sharks with arms

I started cleaning the pantry and found some green peppers that had turned red. I didn't want them to go to waste (some were already moldy) so I washed them, sliced them and sauteed them in olive oil and to give them some flavor I added a few cloves of garlic. I wasn't sure what I was creating. Then I remembered the spinach hubby brought from the farm, so I threw some of that as well. Then I defrosted a few jalapeno peppers (do you know where I 'm going with this recipe?) I still have to idea. I heard my stomach growl, a reminder I had not had anything to eat. So I thought why not , I'm having breakfast for lunch! I added a few eggs and I had my creation. I enjoyed it with a lettuce and tomato salad.

It's healthy, colorful and yummy!

and while I was cooking, Beli was drawing in my one of my books. I began telling her that they were Mommy's books but I decided ok, just once, she could use them. And look what she drew! A baby shark, then Dad then Mom. Apparently sharks have hair and arms!

Yesterday Beli turned 31 months old, and since every 16th we celebrate the day she was born, we headed to the new shopping center. (more photos to follow) We didn't buy her any gifts, (not that she really minds) but we did discover a pet shop and she loved it.

For more Wednesday's Corner View click here. This week's theme : Anything Goes!

From my kitchen: Roasted Garlic Salsa

Here is another recipe of mine, and again all organic ingredients.

Remember a few weeks ago when I mentioned we were blessed with an abundance of jalapenos? Well now it's time to make some fresh salsa.

Feel free to tailor the recipe to your heat tolerance and you can use any variety of chiles.

I must warn you it did turn out very spicy, so of course you can remove the seeds for a milder version or cut down on the quantity. But astonishingly hubby enjoyed a full bowl without drinking anything.

Ingredients:

• Jalapenos or any variety of chiles, I used about 15 of them since they were small-medium size but you can use less.
  
• Tomatoes about 2lbs or I used 10 large ones
  
• Garlic cloves, husked removed, I used about 9 cloves but don't worry once they are roasted they actually taste sweet.
  
• 1 Teaspoon lemon juice
  
  Preparation
  
  Roast the garlic cloves first (about 2 minutes) by placing them on a hot grill or on a hot comal or skillet. Then roast the chiles, turn them frequently until all the skin is charred. (See How to Roast Chiles for more details). Then do the same for the tomatoes, and don't worry they will smell like they are burning and will start releasing the juice but the longer you grill them the smokier the flavor.
  
  
  
  
  Remove the charred skins from the chiles and tomatoes as well as the seeds and the entire stem. Place mixture in a blender or food processor and add the lemon juice. Process until well combined and slightly chunky, but not completely liquified. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Smoky, spicy and completely flavorful. Believe me, this is so good you will stop buying salsa from the grocery store!
  
  
  
  
  These two jars were in the refrigerator for less than 5 days because we added salsa to every meal. I will admit that making the salsa was labor intensive (peeling all those jalapenos!) but worth every bite. If you do try the recipe, stop by and let me know how it turned out and what changes you made to it.

From my kitchen: Fusion of Jalapenos and Tomatoes

I call this Elisa's Jalapeno Arugula Mediterranean Salad and the best part, it's 100% organic.

In Croatia, arugula is also known as rikula, and when I order it by name at the supermarkets I always giggle because it reminds me of the cough drops ricola.

So happy to have jalapenos growing in Grandma's garden. I will be preparing fresh salsa, pico de gallo and why not prepare a summer salad with them?

Here is my recipe for the Jalapeno Arugula Mediterranean Salad

1 bunch of arugula (rikula), rinsed and chopped

2 large tomatoes cubed

2 bell peppers diced

1 or 2 jalapenos diced, depending how crunchy and spicy you want your salad to be

2Tbsp of olive oil

pinch of salt

mix all and enjoy!

From my kitchen: a fusion of Avocado and Mango

I call this my Mediterranean Avocado Mango salad. Now that the summer is here I rather spend my time at the beach or at cafes with friends than in the kitchen. This recipe is quick, nutritious, and delicious for even toddlers to enjoy.


Like I said, kids will love this. Beli's taste buds are a bit confused since she eats applesauce with scrambled eggs but she usually tries anything. All the ingredients in the salad are her favorites so I though, "why not combine them all into one dish?" I think from her smile it's a keeper in Mommy's recipe book.


If you would like to prepare it, here are the ingredients I used.

One avocado, peeled and cut into small cubes

juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 tsp of olive oil

1 tomato diced

1tsp of capers, rinsed (don't worry the tanginess will be balanced by the mango)

1 mango, peeled and cut in small cubes

Mix all ingredients, add salt and pepper to your taste and garnish with green or red grapes(as you can see from the previous picture, Beli was not fond of that idea so she removed them from her plate). I garnished mine with parsley and crushed red pepper. In case you are wondering I brought the crushed pepper from my recent trip to the States because I couldn't find it at the grocery store. Then I served it with bagel chips. What do you think? Feel free to substitute or subtract the capers but the mango is a must.

Crepes with lemon zest

Last night we prepared crepes for our guests who were visiting us from London. Since Hubby is an excellent crepe maker, he doesn't follow a recipe. But don't worry, I took meticulous notes.

"What ingredients do we need to make Croatian crepes?" Good question! Here is the recipe. You will need: 2 eggs, 1 cup of flour, 1/2 teaspoonful of baking soda, 1 teaspoonful sugar, 1 cup of milk and one lemon zest. (this makes about 8-12 depending on the size of pan)

How to Prepare Crepes:

1. Mix milk and eggs, then add the rest of the ingredients. Feel free to improvise: you can add more milk or flour if your batter is too runny or too thick.

2. Pour a little vegetable oil on a folded paper towel, and wipe the pan evenly.

3. Pour in 2 - 3 tbsp. of batter and quickly move pan around, so that batter spreads evenly, covering the whole surface with a thin layer.

4. Let cook for about 1 minute. Then, flip with a metal spatula, and cook other side for about 30 seconds.

5. Repeat the steps until you run out of batter.

Beli was a great assistant.
We normally use orange zest but since we were out of oranges we used lemon zest. In my opinion, they turned out excellent!
Crepes can have any sort of filling (jam, chocolate, fruit, even peanut butter) but in our household, we use the chocolate-hazelnut spread Nutella. You can eat them rolled up like a burrito (my preferred way) or fold them in quarters (fold in half then fold again.) Yum, yum!

What is your favorite topping for crepes?

A French-Croatian Lemon Cake

This past Saturday we had lunch at my husband's parents home and I wanted to prepare a dessert for them and I remembered I had a recipe from my friend Nelly. She prepared it for our class a few weeks ago and was kind enough to share her French yogurt cake recipe.

After I took it out of the oven I sprinkled some vanilla sugar for decor.

I call this my first French-Croatian home-made lemon yogurt cake (what a mouthful of a name right?)

It turned out fantastic: moist and not too sweet (I was worried with 3 cups of sugar!) plus I was able to use my hand-picked lemons! The lemon zest gave it a kick. My family enjoyed it with a cup of coffee but you can also enjoy it with a warm cup of tea, or a glass of milk.

And just like my friend, I too will share the recipe with you.

1 cup yogurt (plain or vanilla flavored)

3 eggs

1 cup oil (I used sunflower oil because corn oil is not available here, although I could have used olive oil but that would not have gone well with this cake)

3 cups sugar

1 teaspoonful vanilla extract

4 cups flour

1& 1/2 teaspoonful of baking powder

1 teaspoonful of rum-aroma

grated lemon zest (1 large lemon)

1 packet of vanilla sugar (A Croatian product, but you can easily substitute and mix your own) or you can omit it from the recipe.

Sift the flour and baking powder(to make the mix more fluffy) into one bowl. In another bowl, whisk all the other ingredients then combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and slowly mix, then pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes at 350 Degrees. Time of baking may vary depending the type of oven you have. I'll advice that you set a timer at 40 minutes and then check to see if it's done (insert a toothpick in the center, if it's clear then it's done otherwise you need to bake it a bit longer).

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Adriatic Shrimp con Linguine

A few weeks ago my Mother-in-Law was cooking a delicious meal of shrimp and linguine called Kozice Repovi or literal translation: shrimp tails. I wanted to learn how to prepare an authentic Mediterranean meal so I asked her if I could help her. "Of course, you can help, she said." I was taking meticulous notes in between cleaning the shrimp, chopping onion and garlic all with the intent of making sure next time I prepared it on my own, it would be just as tasty.

Today I was in the mood for cooking shrimp so I went to the grocery store Tommy for all the necessary ingredients to prepare Kozice Repovi.

You will need these 11 ingredients (serves about 4 people...or ONE hungry husband)

1 lb shrimp (heads removed, leave shell on as it infuses your dish with a seafood aroma)

1 Tbsp Butter

1 medium onion chopped

3 cloves garlic chopped

parsley, several stems chopped

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup white wine

1 cup heavy cream (you can use sour cream)

1 pkg linguine ( there are many varieties, you can choose your own, I purchased spinach linguine)

Salt and Pepper

Parmesan cheese for garnish

Melt butter and saute onion, garlic and parsley for about 1 to 2 minutes.

Add shrimp and olive oil (you can add more if you think it is too dry). Cook for 10 minutes

then add wine, salt, pepper and cook about 1-2 minutes

Stir in heavy cream and cook for 2 minutes.

Add cooked linguine and serve immediately.

Add Parmesan cheese to taste.

I asked Nada, my Mother-in-law, "what do you think, is it good?" She said, "it turned out better than mine." Oh she is too kind! But I agree it turned out pretty yummy as the contents of the skillet vanished within minutes.

Be prepared to eat with your fingers as you enjoy the shrimp tails!