Zucchini cakes

My Hubby doesn't eat zucchini either. Not at all. And I loove zucchini!

What he likes more than I do is cheese, this is the reason that we always have a few kinds of cheese in the fridge. So, the minute I saw this recipe I knew it's going to be great! More than great!

And I was right! Hubby wouldn't believe there was any zucchini in it! :)
He likes Ranch dressing for dipping sauce. I prefer Italian dressing...

You'll find the recipe by clicking RIGHT HERE! Awesome what this woman does! It amazes me every time I read her blog!
Hope you'll enjoy too!
:)

Crepes with berries and farmer's cheese

This is a Williams Sonoma recipe. I can honestly say, I have not eaten more tasty crepes than these. What makes them so special, in my opinion, is the lemon or orange zest that you add to the batter. While baking the crepes, your kitchen will surely smell heavenly! Trust me!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp canola oil
• 1/2 tsp orange zest or 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered
• 1 pint blueberries
• 1 pint raspberries
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar or to taste
• 1 cup ricotta or farmer's cheese
• 4 to 6 tsp unsalted butter
• confectioners' sugar for dusting

In a blender combine milk, egg, flour, salt, oil and zest. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 2 to 8 hours. (I added a little sugar to the batter as well.)

In a large bowl combine the berries, lemon juice and 2 tbsp sugar. In another bowl combine the cheese and remaining 1 tbsp sugar. ( I added here also some of the lemon and orange zest, sorry, just couldn't help it !) Set aside.

In a crepe pan over medium heat melt 1 tsp butter to coat the pan evenly. Pour 1/3 cup of the batter, spread with a spatula. Cook until golden, flip, cook 1-2 minutes. Transfer to plate. Make the 4-6 crepes.

Cover half of crepe with cheese mixture and fold into quarters. Top with berries and dust with confectioners sugar. Serve immediately!!!

Christmas/ Hanukkah cake

I made this cake right before Christmas, as my Hubby asked me to bake his favorite cake. How could I not grant this wish of his on our First Christmas? So I called Katineni, my mother-in-law in Hungary for the recipe.

It is interesting, she heard about this cake many-many years ago listening to a radio-show. So, she quickly grabbed a pen and put down the ingredients. It's been one of the most preferred cakes of the family ever since.
Let me assure you, it was worth it! It has such a rich flavor, so moist and yummmmy!

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs, divided
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup ground walnuts/hazelnuts/pecans
• 5 tbsp butter/margarine
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground clove
• 1-2 tbsp honey
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp anise seeds
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• you can add raisins also 1/2 cup

Start by mixing the egg yolks with the sugar for 2-3 minutes, add the margarine, mix until creamy. Add honey and lemon zest, seasonings (anise, cinnamon, clover) and mix for another minute or so. Stir in nuts, chocolate, raisins and milk.

In another bowl mix the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add to the batter.

Beat the egg whites and lightly fold into the batter. Pour into a greased and floured tube pan. Bake at 325 F for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan, and cool completely.

Makes 10-12 servings.

Can you imagine the smell of your house after baking all those cinnanisecloney?

Worth trying!

A Different Sheperd's Pie

My Hubby doesn't like soups - in general. Okay, there are a few exceptions, like the tipical Hungarian soups, named Jókai bean-soup and Gulyás. These can be served anytime. This is why during the week I often cook a variety dishes, resembling comfort food, I like to call them 'layered' dishes.

This is a sibling of Sheperd's Pie, as this time I replaced the mashed potatoes with cauliflower.

You'll need:

• 1 lb of ground meat (beef/veal/chicken - even a mixture would do)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1/3 cup rice
• small can of sliced carrots, drained
• 1 cauliflower
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup milk
• salt, ground pepper, sweet paprika
• 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs

Cut the cauliflower into 'roses', wash and boil them in salty water. When almost done, let it drain. Cook the rice in salty water, drain when ready. I used some leftover rice.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Saute the onion with 2 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes until tender, add ground beef and season with salt, ground pepper and your favorite seasoning. Stir, cover and cook until meat is browned. Add rice, stir to combine.

Pour meat mixture into an ovenproof dish. Put a layer of carrot slices, then the next layer is of the cauliflower roses.

Beat the sour cream with eggs and milk using a fork, add some seasoned salt. Pour over cauliflower and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

Bake for 30 minutes until top is golden. Let it rest 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 servings.

Enjoy!