Lil' Whale

Free Softie Whale Pattern

Finally I can share with you my first sewing thing that I made. I am also a hobby crafter. I ♥ to work with my sewing machine. So the thing that I sewed is a whale. I found this Free Pattern Softie Whale@ Small Dream Factory. Here it is.

Materials I used: Two different fabrics (cotton and fleece for body and fins)
2 Safty Eyes (or use knobs for eyes and nose)

Stuffing - polyfill

also: Scissor, pins, tailor's chalk and pen, cutting board, Fiskars eyelet setter(smallest 1,6 mm), pearl pen, sewing machine and thread

Instructions: Download free pattern here (original file), or download the user/printer-friendly version; part one, part two and part three.

First I did was of course I trace and cut out the pattern. Than I pined the pattern on the fabrics and cut out the fins, upper and bottom part of the whale body. Than I cut out the inners circle of the pattern and used pen on cotton and the chalk on fleece to make markings for the inner circle on fabrics.

The first thing I sewed the fins. I sewed with the wrong sides together and turned right-side out. Now I sewed the little parts of upper and bottom body together.

For the eyes I used 2 safty eyes. Here for I made to little holes with with the eyelet setter on eye markings.

So sewing together: Place the front body piece right-side up on your work surface. Pin the fins into position. Place the second body piece right-side down on top and pin the body pieces together. Sew the body pattern. Be careful not to sew the stuffing opening. I got the eye in the body and got the back ofe the safty eye through the littles eye holes and cloed it up with the safty metal piece.

Turn right-side out. Now I filled with small amounts of stuffing up the whale until the whale is firm and even, but not too tight. Last bu not least I hand-sewed the stuffing opening. And last I droped a whale's nose with a pearl pen.

 Finished Whale!!! Tada. It's quiet easy.

Just try it!!!

Vegetable Kheema

Vegetable Kheema or Mutton Kheema

(Minced Lamb Peas & Potato Curry)

I really love cooking and the "Indian Cusine" is also one of the best.

This for I share with you this easy recipe. It's rich and very flavorful.

Actually the recipe contens lamb but you can take minced meat which

ever you like. Also cook with carrots or half peas halt carrots or spinach.

I tried it from the "All Color Indian Cookbook" by Hamlyn Pubs.

Ingredients for 4 Serves:

4 tbsp oil

2 onions, chopped

2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp tumeric powder

1 piece of fresh ginger, chopped (1 x 2,5 cm)

1 headed tsp garam masala

about 450g /1lb minced lamb (beef optional)

225 g /8 oz small potatos, quartered

salt to taste

450 g /1 lb shelled peas (or frozen peas)

Preparation:

Heat the oil to medium high and cook the onion until soft.

Add the spieces and fry it for about 5 minutes. Stir in minced

beef and cook now over high heat until well browned.

Lower ther heat and add the potatoes and salt to taste.

Cover and cook gently for 5 minutes. Now, add the peas

and cook until potatos and peas are tender.

Serve hot and maybe with some Indian flat bread.

Save the last bite

My Birthday Rainbow Cake

I turned 33 last week. Nobody was there to make my cake so I had to do it alone.

I like diferent colours so it was clear to make a rainbow cake. When I was a child

my mom used to make it but she was in India and came back right at my birthday.

She also use to call it Easter cake or parrot cake. Funny because she celebrate her

birthday only one week earlier just in India :). Ok! Let's do it.

This cake has some eggs in it. So for all no egg eaters just replace it.

Ingredients:

300 g soft butter

270 g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla sugar

1 pinch salt

5 eggs

375 g all pourpose flour

1 package baking powder

3 tbsp milk

1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp extra caster sugar

1 tbsp extra milk

4 extra different food colors

powdered sugar

(or melted chocolate)for garnishing

some extra butter +

some bread crumbs for cake pan

a round cake pan with hole

4 extra mugs

1 toothpick

Preparation:

Preheat oven up to 175°C or 350F.

Stir soft butter and sugar, vanilla extract or vanilla sugar and salt

together until you have a creamy mix. Stir in the eggs one by one. 

Siff flour and baking powder over butter egg mixture, stir well.

Lightly grease cake pan with extra butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs.

Fill about 3 "big" tbsp in your mugs, add food colors in every mug and stir.

For chocolate layer: mix cocoa powder with extra sugar and extra milk.

Keep some uncolored cake mix for light yellow.

my cake 1. "yellow" cake mix

2. cocoa

3. blue

4. green

5. red(turns into pink)

6. orange

Put in oven and bake for about 1 hour. When it gets to dark, cover
with aluminum foil. The cake is done when nothing stucks on the toothpick.

Let the cake cool completly and decorate with icing sugar or melted chololate.
Maybe also use some bd candles.


for any question: stregana@yahoo.de

My version of Sheperd's Pie

I did not feel well but promissed my friend Diana to cook fo her.

So I called her an canceled our meeting today and prommissedher for

tomorrow to come.

Originally found this sheperd's pie recipe @Cook Like James.

This recipe intence beer and heavy cream but I don't like it and

changed this recipe a little. Instead of beer, cream, peas

I used apple juice, milk, green beans, also I used just 1 pound minced
beef but about 1 pound more veggies like carrots, leek and pumkin.
I ♥ it.

Pumkin, Carots, Green Beans

It provides fiber and  vitamin a, vitamin c, bs , calcium,

potassium, iron, b2 , thiamine, β-carotene, dietary fibre,

antioxidants, minerals, lectins and more

Minced Beef must be cooked to 72 °C (160 °F) to ensure that all
bacterial contamination and has from fat also iron, vitamine b1,2,6,12,
zinc, calcium and more

The photos not mine

but as soon as possible I add mine.

My version of Old Fashioned

Shepherd's Pie

by James

  

Filling:

2 tbspunsalted butter

1 large onion, chopped fine

5 medium carrots, peeled and chopped fine

1 piece of pumkin or leek, chopped

1 pounds ground beef

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

5 tsp all-purpose flour

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp Sambal Oelek

1/4 cup milk

1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

3/4 cup apple juice

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves

1 cup frozen green beans, chopped(or mixed vegs)

Topping:

2 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces

1 tbsp salt

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1/3 cup milk, warmed

1 pinch ground black pepper, optional

1 pinch nutmeg

1 large egg, beaten

1 handful of shredded cheese

1.    Filling: Heat butter in large skillet over medium-high heat until foaming. Add onion and carrots and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add meat, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper and cook, breaking up meat into small pieces, until browned, about 12 minutes. Add flour, tomato paste and sambal oelek and cook until paste begins to darken, about 1 minute.

2. Add milk and cook until it spatters, about 1 minute. Add broth, juice, soy sauce, and thyme and simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture is thick but still saucy, 15 to 20 minutes. After 10 Minutes stir in green beans. Remove from heat, adjust seasonings, and transfer to broiler-safe 2-quart casserole dish.

3.    Topping: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Bring potatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and water to cover to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain potatoes, return to saucepan, and mash potatoes with butter,egg and milk until smooth. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg

4. Spread potatoes over filling, using spatula to smooth top (see photo). Top it with cheese. Bake until pie top is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven

and cool 10 minutes. Serve.

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Hope you like it any question to stregana@yahoo.de 

Chickpea Pumpkin Burgers Patties

... found this nice recipe @ Lisa's Kitchen

a option to meat burgers. but nothing is so good as a real burger

Chickpea Pumpkin Burgers Patties

Chickpea known as (ceci bean, garbanzo bean, chana, sanagalu Indian pea,

Bengal gram) and the are high in protein and hav a lot of vitamins and irons like:

zinc, magnesium, calcium, vitamin a, k, e, c, b 6 + 12 & more

Pumkin - my favorite is Hokaido so if you take this Pumkin thats fine.

It has a good source of fiber and provides vitamin a, vitamin c, bs , calcium,

potassium, iron, riboflavin, thiamine

Chickpea Pumpkin Burgers Serves 4-6


3/4 cup of dried chickpeas (2 cups cooked)
1 1/3 cups of roasted or cooked pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander
dash of cayenne
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 egg
1/2 cup of chickpea flour
1/2 - 2/3 cup of bread crumbs
generous handful of fresh basil and parsley, chopped
sea salt and black pepper to taste

Soak the chickpeas in enough water to cover overnight. Drain, transfer to a pot, cover with fresh water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover and cook until the chickpeas are soft - roughly 1 hour. Drain and set aside.


To roast the pumpkin, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place chucks of the pumpkin flesh on a baking sheet and brush generously with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Cook until the pumpkin can be easily pierced with a fork (roughly 20 - 30 minutes). Transfer to a bowl and mash.


Put the pumpkin in a food processor, along with the chickpeas, spices, onion, garlic, jalapeno pepper, egg and herbs and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in the chickpea flour and enough bread crumbs until the mixture is moist but thick and dry enough to shape into patties. Stir in the salt and pepper.


In a large non-stick pan, heat a shallow pool of olive oil over medium heat. Fry the patties until golden on each side (roughly 3 - 5 minutes per side). Drain on paper towels and serve warm.

Serve with tosted bread or whatever you like

For toppings you can use sweet chilli sauce thats great

or you do it with sweet potatos but I don't like them.

A really healthy thing, enjoy it!!!

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Lentil & Sage Spread

Hi,

I start my blog with some yummi food.

I have a lot of cookbooks and for some good reason I will cook me trough one of my fave cookbook named "Orientalischer Küchenzauber" by Verena Zemm & Gesa Gunturu, translated so much like: " Oriental Kitchen Magic ".

Any question I will try to answer. I will translate that by my own.

I add as soon as possible my own photo and hope you like it.

The recipe intense red lentils & sage.

Lentils are high on fibre and have vitamins like: magnesium, iron, calcium, potassium, sodium, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6.

Red lentils overcook quickly to creamy porridge and it is golden brown.

You get them to buy peeled, they taste slightly sweet.

Brown and green lentils keep their shape long and mushy after prolonged boiling.

With the right spices to make it a great puree, and are ideal for stews.

Beluga lentils are just like puy lentils in the award-winning cuisine at home. The lenses are dark and small. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that they remain firmly in cooking and do not be mealy. They also have a fine chestnut flavor.

(Colorful variety (from left to right): brown lentils, yellow orient lentils, puy lentils, red lentils, beluga lentils)

Sage or Salvia has a high content of essential oils and comes in various species.

The real sage (S. officinalis) and the norml "kitchen" sage, will used as a cooking

spice and also used in medicine, such as herbal tea for sore throats.

(Kitchen Sage)

So finally here comes the recipe:

Lentil & Sage Spread

working time: 15-20 minutes
cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients  4 servings :

180 g red lentils
2 garlic cloves
1 small onion
500 ml vegetable stock
1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

70 g of vegetable spreads
salt and pepper

also: a French baguette sliced
12 sage leaves

Preparation:1. Rinse lentils under cold water. Peel onion and garlic and chop finely.

Cover onions, lentils, garlic, with the broth and cook until soft about 20 minutes.

Stir from time to time.

2. Let the lentil cool and blend them or pass them through a sieve.

3. Grind fennel & cumin seeds with a mortar and stir with 2 tablespoons bread

spread into cold lentil puree.

4. Melt the remaining bread spread pan and fry the sage leaves crispy.

Toast the bread slices. Spread the lentil paste on the bread and garnish

with sage leaves.  

Actually very simple right?

Try it out and give me response. Or send me pictures!

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