Taste of Home: Borscht

Have you ever tried Borscht before? Personally, I hadn’t tried Borscht before until I met my husband. When one day, he told me that he was going to make a dish that’s gorgeously hearty.

Borscht also known as Beetroot Soup

My family and I have fallen in love with this iconic beetroot soup. This delectable beetroot soup is a cultural staple from Ukraine that also became very popular all over of Russia and in Eastern Europe. Beetroot soup isn’t just tasty, it’s also teeming with heaps of nutrients – a mixture of beetroots, tomatoes, carrot, red cabbage, red bell pepper and garlic simmer in a good quality of chicken broth.

The whole family loves the deep ruby color of this Borscht! It’s so healthy and nutritious and this blended meatless version is creamy, savory and rich in flavor.

Borscht also known as Beetroot Soup

So, here’s our family’s go-to recipe for Borscht:

What you will need?

• 4 beet roots, peeled and sliced
• 6 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 250 grams of peeled garlic, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 red cabbage, chopped
• soy sauce, to taste
• 3 tsp paprika
• black pepper, freshly crashed
• 2 chicken broth

Borscht also known as Beetroot Soup

How to make it?

• Put water in the large cooking soup pot. Add sliced beetroots and chicken broth. Let it cook for 15 minutes over medium heat.
• Add the chopped vegetables – tomatoes, carrots, red cabbage, garlic, onions and red bell pepper. Mix well with a large wooden spoon.
• Seasoned it with soy sauce and paprika. Stir the mixture lightly.
• Simmer for 20 minutes over medium heat.
• Let it cool down before blending the mixture.
• Blend the mixture. Be very careful because it might still hot.
• Put the blended mixture into the pot. Add fresh cream. Gently stir the mixture. Let it simmer for 10 minutes over medium heat.
• Et voila! Serve, share and enjoy!

 

Taste of Home: Apple nutmeg rolls

Since I met my husband, I’ve noticed that he didn’t like sugar. He is not sick or anything, he just doesn’t like foods that contain sugar. As time goes on, he influenced me and my son as we like sugar less and less.

apple nutmeg rolls

Every time we cook our food, we always make sure that we reduce the amount of sugar and sometimes we managed to find a way to eliminate adding sugar. Even though we like sugar the least, that doesn’t mean that I can’t make cakes that are a gorgeous treat.

apple nutmeg rolls

So, here’s to my new creation – apple nutmeg rolls! This lovely treat has crossed my mind because I noticed that my husband likes apple pie but he isn’t fond of cinnamon rolls while my son likes both.

apple nutmeg rolls

I was over the moon when I perfected my recipe for apple nutmeg rolls. At first, my husband and my son were hesitant to try a bite as they were full from dinner. But they couldn’t help themselves, my husband ended up eating 5 rolls while my son had two. My family and I really loves it because it’s flavourful, it’s naturally sweetened and it’s moist enough. And we opted not to put any glaze on it because it’s already good and tasty that way it is.  In short, we wrapped up our day with a tasty and healthy midnight snacks – apple nutmeg rolls rock!

apple nutmeg rolls

apple nutmeg rolls

In my recipe, I used honey and red apples as they’re already sweet. I only used 2 tablespoons of brown sugar for the filling when I combined it with nutmeg.

Here’s my recipe, and I hope you enjoy it that way we did:

What you will need for the dough?

• 50 grams of salted butter, melted
• ¾ cup of fresh milk
• 1 fresh chicken egg
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 pack of instant yeast
• 2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour

What you will need for the filling:

• 5 grams of salted butter at room temperature
• 2 tbsps of brown sugar
• 1 tbsp of nutmeg powder
• 3 red apples, sliced

apple nutmeg rolls

apple nutmeg rolls

apple nutmeg rolls

How to prepare apple nutmeg rolls:

• Prepare the dough
  • Put the butter, milk and egg in a mixing bowl. Blend well with a spatula.
  • Add sugar, honey and yeast. Mix well.
  • Add flour. Mix well. Knead with your hand until the dough is not sticky anymore and no more leftover.
  • Form the dough into a big ball.
  • Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm area. Let it rise for an hour or until it doubles its size.
• Prepare the filling.
  • Combine the brown sugar and nutmeg powder in a small bowl. Mix together with a spoon.
  • In a separate bowl, combine the sliced and a tablespoon of almond flour.
• Putting together
  • Once the dough has risen well, flour the surface then flatten it into a rectangular shape.
  • Brush some melted butter.
  • Spread out the filling – nutmeg mixture evenly.
  • Spread out the apples evenly.
  • Roll the dough. Cut it in circular and arranged them in the baking pan. Then let it rise for another 30 minutes or until it has double its size.
• Put it in a preheated oven and bake it for 25 min at 180⁰C.
• Let it cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
• Et voila! Serve, share and enjoy!

 

 

 

Taste of Home: Carrot yogurt cheese muffins

My husband was craving for something simple. Something hearty and healthy. Then, I remembered carrot yogurt cheese muffins. They are my family’s favorite go-to breakfast and snacks.

Carrot yogurt cheese muffins

Carrot yogurt cheese muffins

Carrot yogurt cheese muffins

My carrot yogurt cheese muffins are absolutely perfect. They are loaded with tons of shredded carrots, plain yogurt, honey, olive oil and cheese.

Carrot yogurt cheese muffins

Carrot yogurt cheese muffins

We love these pretty, simple and naturally sweetened muffins because they aren’t too sweet and are super moist and have just the perfect amount of spice.

Here’s my recipe – easy, healthy and tasty!

What you will need?

• 1 ½ cup of all-purpose flour
• 2 fresh chicken eggs, washed
• 2 cups peeled and grated carrots
• ¼ cup honey
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• ¼ cup plain yogurt
• 50 grams cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 teaspoon iodized salt
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

How you will make it?

• Preheat oven to 180 ⁰C and place the muffin cup paper into the muffin tray.
• Prepare the dry ingredients.
  • In a large mixing bowl combine flour, nutmeg, iodized salt and baking soda. Blend well with a whisk.
• Prepare the wet ingredients.
  • In a medium bowl, crack the eggs. Beat with a whisk. Add olive oil, honey, and plain yogurt. Mix well with a whisk.
• Pour in the wet ingredients into the mixture of dry ingredients. Mix well with a spatula.
• Add grated carrots and grated cheese into the mixture. Make sure the mixture is thoroughly mixed.
• Scoop the muffin batter evenly between the 12 muffin cup papers.
• Bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the toothpick comes out clean.
• Put the muffins on the cooling rack. Let it cool down for at least 30 minutes before serving.
• Serve, share and enjoy.

 

Taste of Home: Creamy Potato Leek Soup

With the global Covid-19 health crisis that we are facing nowadays, it is imperative that we stay healthy by boosting our immune system through keeping ourselves active and eating healthy foods.

Creamy potato leek soup or Velouté de Poireaux-Pommes de Terre

So while my son was completing all his homework for his distance learning and while I was cleaning our place and did some ironing of our clothes, my husband was making a big pot of creamy potato leek soup (Velouté de Poireaux-Pommes de Terre in French).

Creamy potato leek soup or Velouté de Poireaux-Pommes de Terre

Creamy potato leek soup is a charming hearty French classic. This lusciously rich soup is loaded with nutrients. Potatoes are rich in potassium, Vitamin C and Vitamin B-6. And leeks are a good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Iron.

Creamy potato leek soup or Velouté de Poireaux-Pommes de Terre

Creamy potato leek soup or Velouté de Poireaux-Pommes de Terre

We love its simplicity and it’s very comforting. Plus, we love the combination of starchy potatoes, the subtle onion flavor of leeks, herbs and fresh cream pureed together to create the ultimate satisfying comfort food.

Here’s the recipe of this velvety Potato Leek Soup.

What will you need?

• 1 kg potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 15 stalks leeks, cut roughly
• 1 30 cL fresh cooking cream
• 6 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 3 bay leaves
• soy sauce, to taste
• salt, to taste
• Kampot pepper, freshly crashed and to taste

How to make it?

• Cook the leeks in butter in a big pot. Stir. Let it cook for about 10 minutes or until it becomes soft.
• Add water (about 1 to 2 L) into the leeks. Add potatoes. Seasoned it with soy sauce, paprika, bay leaves, and freshly crashed pepper. Once boiled, let it cool down before you blend it.
• Blend it for 1 minute or until it becomes smooth. (If you do not have an immersion blender, you can use a blender to puree the soup. Just be careful in putting the boiled veges to the blender as it might still hot.)
• Cook the pureed soup again. Add fresh cream. Stir. Let it cook for about 3 minutes.
• Et voila! Serve, share and enjoy.

 

 

 

A Milestone: Our son turned 13

April 4, 2020 – our son, Pete, turned 13. Where has the time gone? Anyways, happiest birthday to the best son a parent could hope for!

Celebrating my son’s 13th birthday amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

Turning 13 is indeed a milestone birthday as 13 marks the beginning of the teenage years. My husband and I actually planned to take him to a French fine dining at Topaz Restaurant and to gather some of his friends so they can have loads of fun together. However, due to social distancing guidelines and lockdown, our plans were called off.

Celebrating my son’s 13th birthday amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

In spite of the pandemic, we had found other ways to make his natal day special and had a blast at home, after all it really is the little things that are remembered. So, I tossed in pretty yellow chrysanthemum flowers in the vase, casually set the table using blue placemats and blue glasses (my son’s favorite color is blue), baked Almond chocolate cake, made a gorgeous and delicious charcuterie, cooked a three course meal for a true ‘restaurant at home’ experience.

Celebrating my son’s 13th birthday amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

Pete’s 13th birthday cake is a home-baked Almond chocolate cake. This cake recipe suits our taste – not too sweet – and  I tried to make it as healthy possible. I used olive oil for both the batter and the frosting, and I used honey instead of sugar.

Celebrating my son’s 13th birthday amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

Celebrating my son’s 13th birthday amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

For the appetizer, I made charcuterie – a gorgeous and delicious spread – a French tradition that dates back to the 15^th century. It sounds fancy, it’s unique, it looks elegant and colorful, a plate of choice, and it’s the ideal “let’s have a chat about life” dish.

Charcuterie for my son’s 13th birthday.

Celebrating my son’s 13th birthday amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

In addition, in the Filipino culture, a birthday celebration wouldn’t be complete without a dish that has something long because it symbolizes long life. So, I made spaghetti carbonara with mushroom.

Celebrating my son’s 13th birthday amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the afternoon, some of Pete’s friends organized an online surprised party for him. He basically spent his afternoon video calling some of his friends. I could hear them having so much fun and so much laughter together.

For dinner, my husband and I cooked beef steak served with fresh salad. I cooked the steak in butter with fresh thyme and fresh garlic, and seasoned it with freshly crashed Kampot pepper, while husband made fresh onion gravy – he caramelized the onion first and seasoned it with freshly crashed Kampot pepper. The steak was heavenly exquisite! It was a lovely dinner. We treated our son to a truly ‘grown up’ experience, where we talked about what it means to turn 13, and what the years ahead will bring. We also talked about music, and many other things.

Celebrating my son’s 13th birthday amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

Celebrating my son’s 13th birthday amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

On his 13^th birthday, my husband and I opted to offer Pete an acoustic guitar (since Pete has shown improvements in his guitar skills and his interests in playing a guitar and in music has grown stronger), and a personalized photo book (since he enjoys looking back on photographs and to celebrate the moments of his life and his beautiful childhood). We told him that when this global pandemic is over, we would take him to the shop so he can choose the best guitar he likes.

Overall, we celebrated Pete’s 13^th birthday quietly, fun and more relaxed amidst the global Covid-19 health crisis. Happy birthday, Pete and we love you dearly!