French macarons

It took me a couple of tries to make them look like this. I know they don't look perfect but I'm pretty proud of the result. And by the way, they taste like heaven... Lol!

For the shells- 

3 egg whites 

1/4 white granulated sugar

1 2/3 cups frosting sugar

1 cup almond meal (finely ground  almonds - in a blender)

Food colouring (any colors you like)

Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Preheat the oven to 275 F

Now the serious part - 

Beat egg whites in the bowl with a mixer until whites are foamy; beat in white sugar and continue beating until egg whites are glossy, fluffy, and hold soft peaks. 

Add frosting sugar and ground almonds to the bowl and quickly fold the almond mixture into the egg whites, about 30 strokes. Somewhere on the 15-17th stroke add the food colouring.

When batter is mixed, spoon into a pastry bag or a plastic bag. Pipe the batter onto the baking sheet in rounds, leaving space between the disks. Let the piped cookies stand out at room about 1 hour.

Bake cookies until set but not browned, about 10 minutes; let cookies cool completely before filling.

Filling - 

Yellow - Lemon lime curd

1 lemon
1 lime
1 tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup granulated (white) sugar
2 eggs
100g butter, diced, room temperature

Wash and dry the lemon and lime, grate the zests into a small bowl and juice them, straining the juice well.

Mix the zest, juice and corn starch in a small saucepan then add the sugar. Heat over a low flame.

Beat the eggs then add to the saucepan. Increase the heat to medium-low and stir continuously until the mixture thickens, about 4 minutes.

Remove from the heat, transfer the mixture to a bowl and beat in the butter.

Allow to cool, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Pipe or spoon a generous blob of filling onto the flat side of half the shells, top with the remaining shells and press gently until the filling reaches the edges.

Brown - Chocolate ganache 

• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
• Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl; set aside.
• Place cream in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Pour over chocolate and let stand until chocolate has softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add butter and stir until smooth. Let cool slightly before using.

Pink - Strawberry cream cheese 

4 tbs cream cheese

1 tbs strawberry jam

1 tbs butter (room temperature)

Mix all the ingredients and let it cool in the fridge before using. 

Peach pie

This one is not too healthy but it's 14 degrees outside and I have a craving for some kind of comfort food. So, here it is...

2 - 9 inch pie crusts 

1 lbs fresh peaches, pitted and cut in slices

1 cup sugar

1/2 flour 

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbs lemon juice

5 tsp butter

1 egg beaten

Preheat the oven to 450 F. 

Place first pie crust in a pie baking dish, brush it with the egg. 

In a bowl combine peaches, flour, sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice. Mix gently. 

Pour the peach mixture in the pie crust. Place little pieces of butter on top. 

Cover with another crust and pinch the crusts together.

Brush with the egg, sprinkle a little bit of sugar and using kitchen scissors, make little cuts all over the top crust. 

Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350F and bake for another 30-35 min.

Let it rest for 20 min before serving. 

Zucchini fries

Okay, these are super delicious and so easy to make! 

What you need - 

2-3 zucchinis

1/2 cup egg whites (I had Blue menu free run) 

1 cup italian bread crumbs

2 tbs grated Parmesan 

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt and pepper

So, cut the zucchinis in the shape of fries, spread the "fries" on the paper towel, to get rid of extra moisture. 

Meanwhile, pour the egg whites in a bowl. In another bowl mix breadcrumbs, cheese, salt, pepper and garlic powder. 

Preheat the oven to 425F. 

Put a parchment paper on a big baking sheet. Spray it with olive oil. 

Dip your zucchini fries in egg whites first, then the breadcrumb mixture. 

Layer the fries so they don't touch and bake for 20-25 min until golden brown. 

Enjoy! ❤️