Roast chicken and baked rice ;)

Hi so packing is all done, tomorrow we are moving everything, I’m really stressed and tired…but almost done!
We won’t have internet for awhile but I will try to keep posting from some coffee shop!

For the chicken roast I got chicken thighs (you can use whatever part you prefer) carrots, zucchini, one big onion, 5 cloves of garlic some fresh chillies, 4 big bay leaves, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, paprika, thyme and a bit of warm water ( actually white wine is better) . Just mix and rub all of it together in a big baking tray and it’s ready for baking!

For the baked rice, it’s better to use a clay pot, on the bottom put another big onion sliced, 3 cloves of garlic, fresh parsley (if you have), sea salt, black pepper, and a bit of tomato puree (1 teaspoon). put 1.5 cup of rice for 3 cups of boiling water, mix all together and it’s ready aswell.

Bake everything for at least 1 hour and a half to 2 hours, meat tray on top and rice on bottom, at the end put the grill on and leave the rice in there for 10m.

Enjoy! It’s a really tasty and healthy, as everything is cooked from raw.

Take care and talk soon xx

Chocolate cake for my lovely sister!!

Today my little sister turned 27 years old, so I decided to bake her a nice cake given that not much celebration is going on because of the packing! I used Nigella recipe for this cake :

Ingredients

for the cake
200 grams plain flour
200 grams caster sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
40 grams best-quality cocoa powder
175 grams soft unsalted butter
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
150 ml sour cream ( I used cottage cheese instead, just creamed it first)

For the icing I used dark chocolate, caster sugar and evaporated milk, and I let it melt and thicken for a good 20m in very low heat.

The cake : I mixed the yolk with sugar, after all the other ingredients and at the very end the whipped egg whites .

I baked the cake for at least 45m at 180 degrees.

Once you cover the cake with the melted chocolate, add nuts to taste, I used walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts!

At the end as lots of the chocolate ganache was left I spread it on a chopping board lined with cling film added some nuts, and went straight into the fridge, hopefully tomorrow we will have some chocolate and nuts brittle 🙂

What did you bake this weekend? Does anyone have a favorite pumpkin recipe to share with me? Or any other fall inspired dish? would love if you let me know some! 😀

Have a lovely week, and lots of love xx

Pasta dish peppers, carrots and sausage and a stir fry !

Time is tight in this house lately, changing houses in a couple of days, starting to pack, no time for food shopping, but we are still able to do some very tasting dishes.

For this one fry some onions with garlic and red chilli , to this add the sausage meat, let cook for around 10m and add the green peppers and carrots, let it cook to your taste. We like it quite raw, so 5m was enough. Add a bit of water so it doesn’t stick, add salt and pepper. In the meantime boil the pasta, when done mix it all together, italian style and it’s done 😉 The heat from the chillies are really good for you, it boost the metabolism, so don’t be afraid to use it!

Stir fried chicken/turkey with leeks and caramelized onion with a simple rice made with fresh tomatoes and beans! Enjoy

Have a lovely weekend happy bloggers, and enjoy the beginning of fall xx

Quick potato dish and some more thoughts on USA

Arrived to grey London yesterday, leaving sunny US behind. Lots of memories were made, beautiful and colorful ones, like their trees in autumn 🙂 We decided that we will definitely go back to Colorado and Utah to see in more details the amazing natural parks there, loved hiking and the fresh air!
On a different note I have to say that I noticed how much healthy food cost over there, really I paid $5.20 for 4 organic apples, just as an example… Even in he restaurants healthy options are much more expensive, which perpetuates the poor being fat with poor health, with much worse health insurances than the rich… Another thing I noticed was the amount of homeless people, specially of course, in the cities. I was quite surprised with SF…. such a beautiful city with so many people that need help…

I love fall, and i love the way americans embrace it, the decorations, the pumpkin lates and pies! Wish that you could find the same things over here, it’s lovely!

I love tea, an of course went to see the japanese tea house in SF park :

Quick potatoes dish made straight after arriving from the airport, so something very simple, but tasty! Just boiled potatoes, hard boiled eggs, salad leaves, radicchio and raw carrots and tomatoes, all brought together with an olive oil,cumin and paprika dressing, enjoy! Missed my posts and blog Will start a soup season soon and some american inspired dishes, so keep tuned!

Just a quick update on my USA road trip

Im having the time of my life with my other half, the Us is such a beautiful and diverse country! Nature,  cities,  very friendly and helpful people 🙂 we are driving 5hours plus a day but we don’t mind, we make lots of stops to see the scenery,  try nice food and relax a bit! We are sleeping in a mix of cheap motels, amazing mountain accommodation and nice hotels, I have to say that I’m pleased with all. Just a week to finish the holidays…very sad! I will just pist a few pictures. Hope you are all well. Love xxx