I discovered this cake during the second detox of 2024. I am only publishing the recipe now, as it’s the fall strawberry season. If you are looking for a light, easy-to-make dessert, this recipe will prove useful.

You’ll need—

120g gluten-free oat flakes

60g coconut sugar

a pinch of sea salt

3g baking powder

50g gluten-free oatmeal

50g tapioca flour

120g coconut oil

200g strawberries

Mix the oat flakes, coconut sugar, sea salt, baking powder, oatmeal, tapioca flour, and coconut oil.

Place half of the mixture in the baking pan (20x20 cm). Then, add the sliced strawberries [Marcel always helps me with the slicing!].

Cover with the remaining mixture. Press.

Bake for 30 minutes at 180°C.

It will harden beautifully once you take it out of the oven.

Enjoy it!

...and I eventually made booza. What is booza? Lebanese ice cream.

This recipe inspired me.

I adapted it; anyway, I still had mastic bought in Lebanon and salep powder from Albania.

In the end, the ingredients used were:

1l goat’s milk

200g sugar

3 pieces of mastic (powdered)

1/2 teaspoon of salep powder

+pistachios (optional)

After powdering the mastic, mix all the ingredients in a pan. 

Continue stirring for 40 minutes on low heat (the texture changes every 10 minutes).  

In the end, pour the contents into a bowl. Cool it in the fridge. Stir again before placing it into the freezer. Repeat three times, every 10 minutes.

You should feel a gummier dessert; let it rest in the freezer for a few hours.

Serve with crushed pistachios; enjoy the booza taste, as it is traditionally made from goat’s milk, similar to (Turkish) dondurma.

We travelled to Naples and its surroundings in March, for Marcel’s birthday. On Procida, an island I had wanted to explore for a long time, we were gifted many lemons. So, when we returned home, Marcel made limoncello.

What did he use?

8-10 organic lemons

1 litre of 96% alcohol

750g sugar

1 and a half litres of water

Carefully peel 10 medium organic lemons (as the Procida kind is large, we peeled 8), not to add the white part (which turns the drink bitter and cloudy). In a three-litre jar, pour the alcohol. Leave to set for at least 2 weeks (preferably 3) in a cool spot (but not the fridge); stir every 2-3 days.

After 2 or 3 weeks, melt the sugar in the water. Let it cool. Then, pour it over the mix in the jar (strained from the lemon skins). Leave another week to set fully.

We had two naughty girls to celebrate; however, I got 3 glasses. This way, we also celebrated Tedy, their brother.

You need—

75g blueberries

15g sugar

+

1 teaspoon of organic lemon zest

100ml whipping cream

15g sugar

Even if we’re talking about cats, our little ones love citrus fruits very much, especially lemons.

Blend the blueberries (I always store some over winter) with the lemon zest and sugar. After the latter dissolves, you’re ready to assemble the dessert.

Beat the whipping cream and the sugar.

Alternate the fruit and cream layers in Turkish tea glasses.

The result was light, fluffy, and spectacular!

As a surprise, Bundi didn’t hide her cravings and started the tasting!

I tried this recipe a while ago, and I’m eager to try it again. Summer will bring along the fresh raspberries. Until then, I’m using the raspberries from the freezer, which I've stored especially for these winter days!

• What do you need to have for 2 portions?

For the dessert base

250g gluten-free oat flakes

3 teaspoons of Caju Fresh from NoMoMoo

250ml plant-based milk

60g raspberries

60g almond flakes

30g agave syrup

70g honey

For the raspberry sauce

160g raspberries

20g coconut sugar

20ml water

• How to make it?

In a bowl, mix the oat flakes, Caju Fresh, vegetable milk, raspberries, almond flakes, agave syrup, and honey.

Let it rest in the fridge overnight.

The next day (for us, it was perfect at breakfast), I took the dessert out of the fridge and divided it into two smaller bowls. I then made the raspberry sauce.

Let the raspberry and coconut sugar sit for 10 minutes; then, add the water. Boil on low heat until it thickens. Pour it over the dessert. Savour it.

It is a filling and healthy dessert! Plus, it’s so easy to make!

Yesterday (December 17th) was St Barbara, a very important celebration in Georgia. Lobiani is the staple dish.

What is lobiani? It is a pie filled with beans. (I loved it when I tried it in Tbilisi.)
Marcel had the idea to make our version at home, so here's the recipe—

For the dough (makes 2):

80ml water

2g fresh yeast

1 teaspoon of sugar

125g flour

2g salt

Let the yeast and the sugar sit in the water for 5 minutes. Add the flour and the salt. Knead. Let the dough rise for 1 hour.

For the filling (makes 2):

250g boiled beans

4 garlic cloves

salt

Mash the beans and garlic cloves. Add the salt.

Method:

Split the dough in two equal parts. Roll each half out. Spread the beans and garlic mixture over each of them. Make a crescent moon by sticking the ends of the dough. Bake in a pan on low heat until brown. Munch.

It was delicious and filling!

One year ago, right before Christmas, I discovered a recipe for some Italian almond cookies by Nonna Fina. They turned out so great that they became a popular treat in our family. I adapted my ricciarelli recipe; you could try it out these Holidays!

You need:

225g almond flour

150g sugar

2 egg whites (room temperature)

*Vegan ricciarelli are possible, with 6 tbsp of water + 2 tbsp of psyllium or flaxseeds.

a dash of salt

the lemon zest from half a lemon

3 drops of almond extract (optional)

How to bake them?

Beat the egg whites with the salt. Add the almond extract if you decide to use it.

In a separate dish, mix the almond flour, sugar, and lemon zest.

Add the foam to the mix; stir easily. The dough will be slightly sticky.

Split the dough into two parts; shape them into two rolls. Cut the dough slices with a knife. Shape them into diamonds. Then, place them into a baking pan lined with baking parchment. You will get 13-14 ricciarelli from a roll.

Bake them for 15-20 minutes at 180°C. After 10 minutes, supervise them so you don’t burn them. ;-)

Enjoy them! ♥

Upon our first trip to Scotland, our host in Edinburgh served us these treats at breakfast. When he saw how much we liked them, he gave us a bagful.

We munched them at the airport; we didn’t want to let them fall into the wrong hands.

Marcel made them once; it was my turn. I adapted the recipe considering my tastes and heart. In Scotland, they use golden syrup to make flapjacks; I preferred maple syrup.

Baking pan—

24 x 34 cm

Ingredients—

225g butter

100g coconut sugar

50g maple syrup

450g gluten-free oats

salt

Method—

Melt the butter; add the coconut sugar, the maple syrup, the gluten-free oats, and the salt.

Pour the batter into the baking pan lined with baking parchment.

Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven at 190°C.

Cut them immediately after removing the baking pan from the oven; then, let them cool entirely. Otherwise, they would crack.

Marcel and I got hooked on them.

I hope you like them, too!

• Spring version

Dough:

200g flour

5g fresh yeast

100ml buttermilk

salt

Filling:

2 orach bunches

salt

butter

1 green garlic

+1 small egg

Variant: Add ewe cheese on top of the filling if you wish.

• Fall version

Dough:

240g flour

5g fresh yeast

160g sour cream

salt

Filling:

300g orach

salt

butter

1 pestled garlic clove

+2 tbsp of milk

Baking pan: 20x20 cm

Orach was the ingredient of this year for me! I fell in love! I felt lucky to be able to bake this orach pie in spring and fall!

The recipes are almost similar. To make the dough, mix the yeast with the buttermilk or the sour cream, adding the required amount of flour. You’ll get a non-sticky dough, slightly hard. Let it rise for 1 hour. 

Then (a kind man named Marcel helped me), wash the orach leaves. Be careful, that pink liquid stains (I used red orach). Let the orach leaves simmer in butter; add the salt, the green garlic or the garlic clove, depending on the season.

Roll out half of the dough in a buttered and floured baking pan. Add the filling and the ewe cheese if you wish. Then, add the other half of the rolled-out dough and stick the two pieces together.

Brush the egg or milk on top of the pie, then bake it in the preheated oven at 180°C for 20 minutes. 

Shells

170g flour

2 tbsp of sugar

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 tbsp of cocoa powder

1 tbsp of butter

1 small egg

3 tbsp of Port (if you don’t have Marsala)

Filling

325g ricotta

130g sugar

for 8 cannoli

I don’t like the scent of burnt oil in the house; on the other hand, I was craving cannoli. I’m thinking, ’Could I bake them?’.

I had prepared the filling the previous night, draining ricotta and mixing it with the sugar.

To make the cannoli shells, mix the flour, sugar, cinnamon, cocoa, butter, and egg. To give them their typical flavour, add 3 tablespoons of Port if you lack the classical Marsala.

Knead until you have a compact dough (insist until all the ingredients are fully incorporated!). Let it sit in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Divide the dough into 8 balls. Then, crush them and roll them out. Draw circles using a 12cm-diametre bowl. Cut them out. Wrap them around the cannoli tubes. Use a few drops of water to stick the ends.

Place the cannoli tubes into a baking pan. Then, bake in the preheated oven at 180°C for 15 minutes.

By using a piping bag, fill the shells with the ricotta and sugar mixture.

Tip: I prefer filling the shells every time we have cannoli, keeping the piping bag in a mug in the fridge.

I got my favourite pistachio butter today and prepared something I had wished for a long time – my version of Dubai Chocolate.

For 390g-400g of chocolate or 6 bars of 65g, respectively 2 bars of 200g, I used:

100g 40% milk chocolate

100g 65% dark chocolate

1 teaspoon of coconut oil

6 spoonfuls of kataifi

6 teaspoonfuls of pistachio butter

Wash and dry your silicone mould (it is easy to buy, you will see).

Melt the milk and dark chocolate on a steam bath; finally, add the coconut oil and mix.

I was lucky to find ready-made (and roasted!) kataifi in Albania. Sprinkle the kataifi over the first layer of chocolate added to the mould.

Add the pistachio butter over the kataifi, spreading it carefully.

Pour the remaining chocolate over each bar-to-be, levelling everything.

You don't need to wait for too long. Marcel kept checking the chocolate in the fridge. It took about one hour to harden.

The result thrilled us!

Today was my name day. Not many people are aware of it. 😊 I do celebrate it, though, if only with something sweet. My friend Sidra sent this recipe over more than two years ago. I’ve only managed to adapt it and try it today. However, better late than never to lick your fingers.

• I used

10 medium-large dates

10 walnut cores

10 teaspoons of peanut butter

100g hazelnut spread [we made some ourselves; to be continued] or melted chocolate

salt without anticaking agents

• Method?

Open the dates and pit them [Kara enjoyed playing with two date pits].

Place the walnut cores inside the dates, one by one.

‘Seal’ them with the peanut butter.

In the end, soak the mini-desserts in the hazelnut spread.

Before placing these treats in a dish and letting the dish sit in the freezer for half an hour, sprinkle some salt on them.

• I hope you loved them!

 

What to use for two portions?

2 small and ripe bananas

60ml milk

30g butter

60g flour

3g baking powder

a pinch of salt

a fistful of raisins

How to bake it?

Mash the bananas using a fork. Then, add the milk, melted butter, flour, baking powder, salt, and raisins.

Pour half of the batter into one ramekin and the rest into another.

Bake in the preheated oven at 180°C for 25-30 minutes (depending on the fluffiness of the pudding).

Something fast and sweet, Marcel’s idea, as summer should taste—

You’ll need—

1.5 kg watermelon flesh

6 teaspoons of sugar

1 lemon

How to make it?

Add the watermelon flesh pieces into the blender with the sugar and lemon juice.

Blend.

Savour.