Broccoli Quiche

I am one of those people who really like vegetables. Seriously. As a kid I was uncertain about it, couldn't decide if I like veggies or not. Nowadays I really love almost any kind of vegetables (OK I really hate cauliflower), but broccoli is one of my favorites. My sis, who is really picky when it comes to food, ate this pie the other day and suggested I put it on the blog so it must be a good recipe. 

This pie requires little time and turns out perfect. You can make it in advance and store it in the fridge, which is great for any unannounced guests.

1 package puff pastry

1 cup broccoli florets

100 grams turkey ham, cut small

400 grams cheese wedges

3 eggs

125 ml milk

salt and pepper to taste

100 grams cheese of choice, grated

First roll the pastry out, so you get a round form for your pie dish. Put the pastry in the pie form and set aside. Wash the broccoli florets and put on the prepared pastry. Now add the cut turkey ham and set aside. Mix the cheese wedges with the eggs until smooth. Add salt and pepper and pour over the pie. Sprinkle the grated cheese (I used Gouda) on top and bake for 45 minutes on 190°C.

Pizza Muffins - Step by Step

Pizza Muffins are the best snack for football matches or parties. Everyone loves pizza and these muffins are a kind of pizza in muffin size. Even better because you can grab one and don't have sticky hands afterwards. They can be eaten cold or pipping hot, I prefer them cold because they taste better.

This is a step by step recipe so everyone can make these muffins. No special pre-knowledge is required. You might think the dough is too sticky and you have done something wrong. But wait! The dough should be sticky and messy, this is just perfect. The muffins will turn out just perfect.

Ingredients:

100 ml lukewarm milk

1 tea spoon sugar

7 grams dry active yeast

250 grams flour

4 table spoons butter

An egg

A pinch of salt

1 tea spoon oregano

½ cup red pepper

½ cup honey ham (or any ham)

½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded (or any kind of cheese)

½ cup mushrooms, cut in small pieces

First gather your ingredients. Put three table spoons of lukewarm milk into a small bowl. Add the sugar and sprinkle the yeast on top. Set aside for ten minutes. Put the flour in a bigger sized bowl and make a hole in the middle. Put the yeast in it and add the egg, the remaining milk, salt and oregano. 

Mix with an electric mixer, then knead the dough with your hands .

Shape the dough into a ball, cover with a lid and set aside for 30 minutes. The room should be warm so the dough has plenty of time to rise.

Put the ham, cheese, pepper and mushrooms to the double-sized dough and knead until well combined.

 Fill the muffin tin with the dough and bake on 190°C for 35 minutes or until golden brown. When baked, remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes, then remove from the tin.

Cinnamon Cake

A few days ago I was wondering what dessert to bake for a family dinner. I was thinking about a batch of frosted cookies, but since I was a bit obsessed with cookie baking in the past month I decided to make this Cinnamon Cake. You can't go wrong with anything cinnamon-y so this cake was the perfect dessert. Plus, it is so easy to do and you have enough time to squeeze in a quick run or workout.

This cake is literally a giant cinnamon roll in cake form. No one can resist the frosting and delicious cinnamon flavor in the middle. I like to eat it straight from the oven, still a bit hot.

Recipe adapted from here.

3 cups flour
1/4 tea spoon salt
1 cup sugar
4 tea spoons baking powder
1 1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tea spoons vanilla
4 table spoons butter, melted
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 table spoons flour
1 table spoon cinnamon

Frosting:
2 cups powdered sugar
5 table spoons milk
1 tea spoon vanilla

Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Mix with an electric mixer. Once combined, slowly stir in the melted butter. Pour batter into a greased baking pan.
In a large bowl, mix the softened butter, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon until well combined. Drop evenly over cake batter by the tablespoon and use a knife to swirl through the cake. Bake at 190 °C for 25-30 minutes. Place powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle over warm cake. 

Gingerbread Men

Happy new year everyone! I hope you had a wonderful NY's Eve and are ready to make 2013 the best year so far.

I started this year with baking some Gingerbread Men. I love gingerbread and my sister required baking these gorgeous gals. You have to admit they look delicious. And they are. I love this recipe because the gingerbread comes out so soft and chewy and it's not too sweet.

The dough makes about 30 Gingerbread Men, depends on the size of the cookie cutter you use, so you get plenty of them ready to be eaten.

650 grams flour

3 eggs

250 grams butter

1 table spoon bicarbonate of soda

4 table spoons honey

250 grams icing sugar

1 table spoon cinnamon

1 tea spoon ground ginger

Knead the dough from above ingredients and set aside for an hour. The dough is very sticky, but don't worry it will get into shape once it rests for one hour. Roll the dough out, approximately 2 centimeters thick, and cut out with gingerbread men cookie cutters. Of course, you can cut it into any shape your heart desires  Bake for 10 minutes on 190°C. Remove from the oven and let the men cool  on baking rack. After that you can color them with colored icing sugar or leave them like that. I used  Dr. Oetker's Writing Icing and it works great.