Carrot Curry Soup

Delicios!!! YOu can make it with chicken broth or just with water.

(Serves 2)
All you need -
3-4 cups chicken broth or water
2-3 large carrots
1 large potato
1 large onion
1/2 tsp curry
1/4 tsp ginger
Pour the water or chicken broth into a soup pot, add peeled and cut carrots, potatoes, onions and bring to a boil over medium heat  and cook until the carrots and potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.  Stir in the curry powder and ginger;
Transfer the soup to a blender, and puree until smooth. Pour back into the pot, and thin with water to your preferred consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.                

Asparagus in Sole fillet

Yummy!!!!!

1 1/4 pounds sole fillets
1 pound asparagus, ends broken off
2 tbsp lemon juice
Black pepper and salt to taste
Wrap asparagus with the fish fillets, fix with toothpicks if needed. Sprinkle with lemon juice, salt and pepper, then place on foil and bake 15-20 minutes at 400 F.
Serve on rice on potatoes.

Marinated pork roast

oh well...once I tried to make it and it didn't go well, this time I took it step by step and decided to give it some time...

Let's start with the marinade...yumm
All you need is...
Pork tenderloin
a bag
1 lemon, zest grated
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 to 6 lemons)
Good olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, mustard, and 2 teaspoons salt in a sturdy 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the pork tenderloin and turn to coat with the marinade. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag. Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Meanwhile, cut
3 potatoes
2 big carrots
1 onion
Put all the vegetables in the baking dish, add 1 tsp salt and 2 tsp pepper, mix it well.
Place your marinated tenderloin on top of the potato mix and cover it with foil. Bake 1 hour.
After 1 hour, remove the foil and start basting your meat with the juices every 15 minutes for another hour.
Remove from the oven, cover and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.
It's ready to serve!!!!!

Vegetable pilaf

Easy and delicious...not to mention low calorie

1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups uncooked long grain rice
1 large onion, chopped
1 pack frozen vegetable mix (carrots, beans, broccoli, cauliflower)
2 Tbsp. black pepper
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. salt

In a large pot, heat the oil and fry the onions for several minutes - stirring frequently - until the onions are becoming translucent. Add the mushrooms, black pepper, salt. stir and cook 3-4 minutes. Now add the vegetables and all the other ingredients, let it boil, then low the heat and cover the pod. Let it simmer 15-20 minutes or until the rice absorbs all the fluids. Done! Now taste it if there is enough salt. You can use this pilaf as a side dish or on its own. 

Yummy turkey recipe

Thanksgiving or Christmas...doesn't matter, this turkey will rock your world. I mixed a couple of recipes and added some of my own ideas...and my first turkey was amazing!!! I cooked turkey for the first time in my life and it turned out so good....my guests loved it!
Here she is...the lady of the night :-)

I will start with the stuffing
6 sliced of bread
2 stalks celery, cut
1 onion, chopped
1 big carrot, sliced
1 tsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 egg
1 cup chicken stock
1 tsp sage
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Thaw the turkey overnight.

Start with the bread slices, put them on foil and bake for 5-7 minutes in the preheated oven at 400 F
Cut it in cubes.
Meanwhile melt the butter in a skillet, add the olive oil and start frying the onion, add celery and carrots when your onion has softened. Stir, cover and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
In a big bowl, mix your bread cubes, the onion mix and all the other ingredients - chicken stock, egg, sage, poultry seasoning, salt and both peppers. Mix it well and set it aside.
When your turkey is ready to be stuffed.... First rub it inside oand out with the mix of -
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp pepper
2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
While rubbing, don't forget to rub it under the skin as well, it gives a good taste to the meat.
Stuffing time!!!!!
Stuff the turkey cavity and don't forget to stuff the head part and prepare a needle and a threads :-)
Make sure you fix the whole turkey, so the stuffing will not fall out.
Next step is brushing the turkey with
1/2 cup melted butter

Now put the lady in the pan and place it to the oven at 350 F, don't cover it at first, let it be in the oven for about 50 minutes, then cover it and DON'T forget to Baste all over every 30 minutes with the juices on the bottom of the pan.
After the turkey is done make your gravy from the remaining juice in the pan and this mix
1 tsp all purpose flour
1 cup cold water
Pour it in the pod, on medium heat, constantly stirring, until thick! DONE!!!

Cooking time depends on a weight of your bird, that's what I found-

10 to 18 pounds	3 to 3-1/2 hours	3-3/4 to 4-1/2 hours
18 to 22 pounds	3-1/2 to 4 hours	4-1/2 to 5 hours
22 to 24 pounds	4 to 4-1/2 hours	5 to 5-1/2 hours
24 to 29 pounds	4-1/2 to 5 hours	5-1/2 to 6-1/4 hours

Russian Plov (Pilaf)

We call this dish Plov, originally this is Uzbek dish, Uzbekistan is one of the former USSR republics and they cook amazing stuff!!! Originally you are supposed to use lamb in the recipe but I was too lazy to go to the store and buy lamb, so I made it with pork (turned out really good).

So, this is Uzbek pilaf (plov)
3 strips of bacon (uncooked and cut into small pieces)
500 gr (2 cups) stewing pork
1 big onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 bell pepper, cut
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 big carrots, sliced
1 cup uncooked rice
salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tb spoons olive oil

In a large pot heat the oil and put your bacon in it. Fry it for 3-4 minutes, then add the pork.
Fry the pork on high heat and then it's time for your onion and garlic, throw them in the pot and low the heat. Fry it stirring for 3-4 minutes, then add the carrots and celery, mix everything, add 1/2 cup of water, stir again, cover and cook for 5-7 minutes, then add the rice and 2 more cups of water, cover it and let it simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the rice absorbs all the water.
 Add thr bell pepper, stir and salt to taste, also put the black pepper and crushed red pepper. Mix everything good, cover and let it simmer for another 10 minutes on low heat.
That's it! your Plov is ready to serve!!!!
 In the republic of Uzbekistan they eat this dish with their hands but it's too messy..... so it's better to use a fork :-) Enjoy!

Vegetable bake

Found this recipe and decided to try...Yummy!!!!!
The only thing I changed was - instead of can of French-fried onions, I made french fried onions from scratch, the recipe is right here -http://mila-recipes.blogspot.com/2011/11/homemade-french-cried-onion-rings.html
So, let's do it!!!

Ingredients
1 can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/3 cup sour cream

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 (16 ounce) bag frozen vegetable combination (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots), thawed

1 can French-fried onions (http://mila-recipes.blogspot.com/2011/11/homemade-french-cried-onion-rings.html)

1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Stir soup, sour cream, black pepper, vegetables, 2/3 cup onions and 1/4 cup cheese in 2-quart casserole. Cover casserole.

Bake at 350 degrees F 40 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir vegetable mixture.                     Top with remaining onions and cheese. Bake 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Homemade French Fried onion rings

as simple as it is!!!!

• 3 large onions, sliced into thin rings
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups flour
• oil (for frying)
• salt and any herbs and spices you want

Soak the onions in the milk for 5 minutes.

Heat the oil in a large skillet or deep fryer.
Take a handful of onions and run them through the flour with a fork to coat.
Fry in batches in the oil, stirring as needed to brown evenly.

Drain on paper towels and season to taste.

Chicken curry in a pot

This dish is Russian, I just added a little bit of curry powder.

For 2:
1 big chicken breast, boneless, skinless (cubed)
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium size potatoes, cubed
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t spoon curry powder
2 tbs shredded cheese
1 tspoon paprika
1 cup chicken broth
2 tbls olive oil
1 tbs butter
salt, pepper
In a large skillet, heat the oil and butter, add the onion and fry it until soft.
In a bowl, place your chicken, add the garlic and curry, mix well, add salt and pepper.
Prepare your oven-safe bowls, first goes a layer of onion, then a layer of chicken, then potaotes. Add 1/2 cup of the chicken broth to each bowl and then put the shredded cheese on top. Cover the bowls and place them in the oven at 400 degrees for 1 hour.
Sprinkle with paprika before serving.

French croissants (Julia Child's recipe)

First of all... This is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfygewLUAmo
I adore Julia Child, I think she is precious!!!!
Here they are...

Well, I will just write all the ingredients here and will try to describe what I did, but mostly, you can just open the link and follow Julia.
Ingredients:
1 Tsp dry yeast
1/4 Tsp salt
1/2 Tb sugar
1/4 cup warm water (not more than 110 degrees, otherwise you’ll kill the yeast)
Mix the ingredients with the warm water until dissolved, and let it sit for 5 min.
The Dough
2 cups of flour
1 Tb sugar
3/4 Tsp salt
1/3 to 1/2 cups tepid milk
 4 Tb vegetable oil
Blend all the above in a mixing bowl (don’t forget the yeast mix)
It’ll be somewhat sticky at first but after a good rapid fold and knead with the heels of your hands it will become elastic, smooth and will not stick to your hands.
Cut the top of the dough with the scissors and put in in a bowl, cover the bowl with a towel or plastic and place it in the warm place. Leave it for 1 1/2 hour.
Then, punch it down a little bit, wrap it in wax-paper or plastic and chill it for about 20-30 minutes. The chilling is important as it makes working the dough much easier.
Use
1 stick of salted butter
and beat it with a rolling pin, punch it before it becomes like a dough mixture.
Now...Roll your dough into an approximate 9″ diameter circle, then form the butter into a 5″ square and place it on the top of your dough. Fold it like an envelopeand roll into a long rectangle.
Then fold the edges again and roll it, repeat 4-5 times, it creates the layers of the croissant.
After your 5-th rolling, place your dough envelope to the fridge for another hours or so.
Now the magic begins...
After the dough has chilled, roll it into a 12″ long by 5″ wide rectangle and cut it in thirds.
Now take one of the thirds and roll it into a 5-1/2″ square and cut it on the bias.
Roll the triangles out to extend to about and shape it as much as you can into a isosceles triangle (where two sides are equal in length). Now starting at the base, roll up the dough towards the tip of the triangle, then bend it into a crescent moon form, and place it on a buttered baking sheet, don't put them too close to each other.
Beat 1 egg and brush your croissants with it.
Preaheat your oven at 450 degrees and bake your croissants for about 15 minutes. Keep an eye on them...Done!!!! Yumm!!!

shrimp-vegetable pasta goodness

This is pretty healthy and takes 20 mins to make.
So...here we are

Ingredients:
2 cups dry pasta
1 tbsp canola or olive oil
1 zucchini, cubed
6 mushrooms, sliced
10 large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
4 tsp. Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cup tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes 
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp salt, pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheese (any cheese will do)

Start cooking pasta, meanwhile in a large skillet, heat the oil and fry onion and garlic, add zucchini, fry a little bit more (3-4 min), add muchrooms, stir, cover and simmer for another 5-6 min.
Stir in the shrimp and add Tomato sauce and add basil, parmesan, salt and pepper, stir, cover and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Drain cooked pasta, serve with your sauce on top and sprinkle with shredded cheese.

Chicken Strofanoff

Everything is very easy...and delish!!!
Serve it on mashed potatoes, spinsch or pasta...

Ingredients for 2 servings:
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed
3-4 fresh mushrooms, cut in slices
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 tbl spoons sourcream
1 t spoon black pepper
1/2 t spoon salt
2 tbl spoons olive oil
So, In a large skillet, heat the oil and add onions, cook for 5-6 min, stir in  mushrooms, salt and pepper; cook until mushrooms are softened.  Stir in sour cream and add chicken to skillet, cover and simmer 15 minutes or until breast filets are tender. YAY!!! DONE!!!