Elias & Valeria’s Easy Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

• 225 g butter (soft)

• 225 g sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 375 g flour

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar until smooth.

2. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix well.

3. Sift in the flour and stir until a soft dough forms.

4. Roll out the dough between two sheets of baking paper.

5. Cut into shapes if you like.

6. Bake at 160 °C for 12 minutes, until lightly golden.

7. Cool on a rack and enjoy! 🍪

Maqluba – The Famous Middle Eastern Upside-Down Pot

A classic dish from the Levant, Maqluba means “upside-down” in Arabic — a hearty, layered meal of rice, vegetables, and meat that’s flipped after cooking for a show-stopping presentation.

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Ingredients

• Meat of choice (chicken or lamb) — browned/seared

• Eggplant — sliced and roasted or pan-fried

• Cauliflower — browned/fried

• Tomatoes — sliced

• Rice — soaked and rinsed

• Water (just enough to cover the rice by a finger’s width)

Spices & Seasoning:

• Salt

• Mixed spices (e.g., Garam Masala, Baharat, 5-Spice mix)

• Broth (optional, for richer flavor)

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Preparation Steps

1. Prepare All Ingredients Separately:

   • Brown the meat in a pan.

   • Slice eggplants and roast or fry them.

   • Brown the cauliflower in a pan or oven.

2. Layer the Pot: (bottom to top)

   1. Tomatoes (base layer)

   2. Meat

   3. Eggplants

   4. Cauliflower

   5. Rice (on top)

3. Add Water:
   Pour enough water to cover everything — about a finger’s width above the rice.

4. Season:
   Add salt, mixed spices, and broth or bouillon if desired.

5. Cook:
   Cover and cook gently for about 45 minutes until the rice is done.

6. Flip & Serve:
   Once cooked, let it rest for a few minutes. Then carefully flip the pot upside down onto a serving plate — that’s the Maqluba magic!

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Did You Know?

Maqluba isn’t just a dish — it’s a festive tradition across the Middle East. Every family has its variation, and flipping the pot at the table often gets a round of applause! In Raed's version, shaped by his Iraqi roots and Brazilian life, you taste a blend of cultures in every layer.

Rhubarb Cake – Polish Style (Ciasto z Rabarbarem)

Rhubarb Cake – Polish Style (Ciasto z Rabarbarem)

Light, fluffy, and so easy to make — this rhubarb cake is a early summer favorite! Perfect with a cup of tea or coffee, or enjoyed with a dollop of whipped cream on the terrace.

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Ingredients

(For one large round baking tin or two smaller ones)

• 200 g margarine (or butter)

• 200 g wheat flour

• 200 g sugar

• 4 eggs

• 1 packet vanilla sugar

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 800 g fresh rhubarb

• 100 g powdered sugar (for dusting)

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Preparation

1. Prepare the Batter

• In a large mixing bowl, cream together 200 g margarine and 200 g sugar.

• Add the 4 eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

• Stir in the vanilla sugar.

• Gradually add the flour and baking powder, gently mixing until smooth.

2. Prepare the Rhubarb

• Peel and cut 800 g of fresh rhubarb into small pieces (about 1 cm x 1 cm cubes).

3. Prepare the Baking Tin

• Grease a large round baking tin (or two smaller ones) with margarine and dust with flour to prevent sticking.

• Pour the batter into the tin and smooth the surface.

• Evenly spread the rhubarb pieces over the batter.

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Baking

• Preheat your oven to 180°C (fan) or 200°C (top/bottom heat).

• Bake the cake for about 45 minutes, until golden and cooked through.

• Let it cool slightly, then sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.

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Serving Suggestion

Serve with a nice cup of tea or freshly brewed coffee.
And with all that healthy rhubarb inside — a little whipped cream on top is definitely allowed!

Carrot Cake

Ingredients

3 big carrots
3 eggs
400g flour
300g sugar
1 pack of raising flour
200ml of sunflower oil


How to do it

Start with peeling the carrots.
Grate the carrots
In a separat bowl whisk the eggs and add the oil.
Add carrots to the eggs. Use a hand blender do blend the carrots and eggs until there is kind of a coarse texture.
Add the sugar, raising flour and flour. Mix everthing with a wooden spoon.
Put on a baking tray and bake at 175 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes.

After taking cake out of the oven you can cover it with a liquid chocolate.


It is a very tasty carrot cake. Enjoy.

Thai Green Chicken Curry

Now this is a really great green thai curry. Recipe is from BBC Good Food.

Here is the link>>>GREEN THAI CHICKEN CURRY

Pics will follow

Cleasing Digestion Natural Additive

4 ingredience - same quantity for all (100g)

Oats
Wheat germ
Crushed golden glax seed
Wheat bran


Mix everything and add it to your yogurt or fruit salad.
Two full spoons per day.

Plum Dumplings

Plum dumplings are delicious. It is a perfect dessert or even a main dish which combines the sweetness of sugared cinnamon dumpling on the outside with a tasty potato dough and the sweet-sour melting plum on the inside.

Indian flavored Chicken Korma with Rice

First step

prepare spice mixture of:

        

•             6 whole cloves

•             2tsp (teaspoons) cinnamon powder

•             6 cardamoms

•             2tsp ground cumin

•             3tsp curry powder

•             1tsp of salt

•             1tsp black peppercorns

v  Grind and mix all spices

v  before grinding the black peppercorns and cloves roast them slightly to extract the flavors

Second step

prepare before you start cooking:

•             4 cloves of garlic (peeled and chopped)

•             about 4cm of fresh ginger peeled and grated

•             3 large onions (peeled and chopped)

•             6 ripe tomatoes (dice them in small cubes)

•             800 ml of coconut milk

•             500 g chicken breast (cut them in big cubes 2cm x 2cm)

•             3tbsp (tablespoons)of sunflower oil

•             50 g of chopped cashew nuts (or any other nut)

Third step

start cooking your curry:

•             add olive oil and chicken to the hot pot and sear chicken

•             add spice mixture to the seared chicken and stir fry for 1-2 min

•             add onions and continue stir frying for 2-3 min

•             add tomatoes and let it cook for 5 min

•             add coconut milk and let the curry simmer for about 40 min

•             do not forget to stir your chicken korma every couple of minutes to avoid burning

Fourth step

start cooking your (basmati) rice:

•             you can start with preparing your rice 20 min after the curry started simmering

•             wash 200g of basmati rice (200g is enough for 2-3 people)

•             add rice wiht 400ml of hot water to the pot and cook it for 10 min

•             take rice pot from fire and cover it. leave it another 10 min covered.

Fifth step

After about 40 min of simmering your chicken korma curry the consistency of the curry sauce should be creamy. 

This is when your curry is ready to be served.

Serve rice with curry and sprinkle the chopped nuts over the curry.

You can add chili powder or pepper to spice up your dish if you prefer.

Enjoy your meal.

Spaghetti - Wild Style

 Spaghetti Wild Style is something you can come up with when you are not in the mood for shopping and you create your pasta dish with thing found in the fridge and whatever else you have. 

In our case we produced a pretty tasty dish with the following ingredients:

• 500g of Spaghetti
• 100g of dried tomato paste
• 20g of regular ketchup
• 50g of salami
• 100g of onions
• 20g of capers
• 30g of parmesan cheese
• fresh basil leaves
• 4 cherry tomatoes

You cook the spaghetti for approximately 10 min in salty water. Separately you start with the sauce. You glaze the onions in some oil  with salt and pepper. Through in the dices salami bits. Add the dried tomato paste and to splashes of ketchup (for the color) and some of that spaghetti boiling water (2-3 table spoons). In the end you can add those nice tasting capers to the sauce.

Once the spaghetti are cooked (al dente if you like) you add it to the sauce in a large pen and stir until the sauce and spaghetti form a beautiful unity.

Now you can plate the pasta and decorate it with a couple of basil leaves and cherry tomatoes. The finishing touch comes by grating Parmesan cheese all over your pasta. Voila! a great tasting dish for four. Enjoy, we surely have.

Brazilian Pamonha

Pamonha from Brazil

You never know what type of culinary deliciousness you'll get when you stop at a Brazilian highway station. In my case I was fortunate to get to know Pamonha. It is sweet corn cooked in it's own leaf. Simialr to the Mexican Tamales but sweet. I understood that it can also be served as a salty version. 
Great snack on the road.

Copacabana Fruit Salad

Copacabana here we come !

This is a fruit salad based on one very typical Brazilian fruit. It called Mamao. An oversized Papaya actually. Of course, it always tastes better if you are actually sitting on the beach of Copacabana. It is a very tasty fruit plate. Enjoy.

Sliced bread pizza

similar to brochiuto.
cut bread in sliced.
put them on a baking tray

prepare sauce
put some cheese on top and herbs

done

Tomato, lettuce, olive salad

tomato
lettuce
olives
cheese
dill

Farofa Burger

Self made Burger.
Pig meat and farofa.
some salt and pepper, chopped oninons. ready.

Have you ever tried Mexican "Mole Negro" with chicken? Here is the recipe form cacaoweb.net

Ginger glazed Gammon

Ingredients

    * 1 (12-pound) joint (mild cure boneless) ham
    * 7 liters of dry ginger ale
    * 1 cup chunky ginger preserves
    * 2 tablespoons hot English mustard
    * 1/2 cup soft dark brown sugar
    * 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
    * If you can not get hold of ginger preserves, you can use ordinary orange marmalade and add 1 teaspoon of dry, ground ginger.

Directions

Place the joint in a large pot over heat and add  the ginger ale. Bring the pot to the boil then lower the heat slightly so that it keeps bubbling steadily for 4 1/2 hours.

Towards the end of the 4 1/2 hours, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and begin the glaze.

In a bowl, add 1 cup of chunky ginger preserves. Stir in 2 tablespoons of hot English mustard. Add 1/2 a cup of soft, dark brown sugar and sprinkle in 1/2 a teaspoon of ground cloves.

After 4 1/2 hours, gently lift the ham out of the pan and place on a foil-lined baking tray. Carefully cut away the skin, leaving a thin layer of fat. There is no need to score the surface, simply slap on the glaze and place the tray with the ham into the oven for 20 minutes.
Can be served hot or cold.

Guacamole

Ingredients

1 lime, juiced
½ fresh chilli, seeded and chopped, or to taste
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander
3 ripe avocados
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method

1. Put half the lime juice in a bowl with the chilli, garlic and coriander. Halve, stone and peel the avocados. Chop roughly and add to the bowl. Roughly mash with a fork or potato masher then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add more lime juice to taste, along with more chilli, garlic and coriander if you wish.
2. Pack into a small container and press clingfilm over the surface, making sure there are no air pockets. Cover and chill until ready to go.
3. This can be served as a dip for vegetables or corn chips or served as a sauce for grilled fish, prawns, lobster, chicken, beef or lamb.

To stop guacamole discoloring, use just-ripe avocados and prevent air reaching the mixture by pressing clingfilm on to its surface.
Tip 2: Put the avocado stone inside the guacamole
Tip 3: put lime skin inside the guacamole

Chipotle Salsa

Ingredients for Chipotle Salsa Recipe

*

4 medium-sized fresh ripe tomatoes
*

1 small bunch of cilantro (about 8 to 10 long pieces with leaves)
*

1 fresh lime
*

1 medium onion
*

Salt & pepper to taste
*

2 to 3 chipotle chilies, canned in adobo sauce


Directions for Chipotle Salsa Recipe

Wash and core the tomatoes.

Wash and dry the cilantro between layers of paper towels. I like to remove the leaves from the stems but, this is not necessary.

Peel onion, now cut the tomatoes and onion in quarters to prepare for the food processor.

Remove the stems and seeds from the chipotles.

Place all the prepared vegetables and the chipotles in food processor along with the cilantro. Squeeze lime juice into the blender.

Place lid on food processor and blend. For chunkier salsa, pulse the food processor only for a few seconds. For smoother textured salsa, process to your desired consistency.

If you don't have a food processor, a blender will work as well or you can chop all ingredients by hand and mix in bowl. Now where is my molcajete?

For extra zip, add dried pepper flakes. Salt and pepper to taste.

You can enhance the smokey flavor of your Chipotle Salsa Recipe by adding a tablespoon or two of the adobo sauce the chipotles came in.

Allow the salsa to chill if you can for a couple of hours.

Cherry Soup

still to come....

tastes also great as a cold soup in summer

Lettuce Soup - Ingredients

lettuce
garlic
dill
water
salt
pepper
eggs
baguette or toast
creme fraiche