Tiramisu Birthday Cake

Another comfort food recipe... Another cake!! A no bake one and who doesn't love that? 
I made this for my husband's birthday and it was a hit. It took me literally 15min from start to finish but the results were amazing. The hardest part is remembering to make it the night before so it has time to set in the fridge.

The recipe calls for mascarpone cheese but regular full fat cream cheese will work too. 

Also, when talking about tiramisu, ladyfingers would be the biscuits to go with but I thought chocolate chips were a great alternative. The chocolate chips gave the cake a really nice texture and flavour. 

Try it, I promise you'll love it!!

Pepperoni and Leek Pizza Braid

Saturday Pizza Night has become a nice little tradition at our house and we love it!! It's relaxing after a long week of work and quite rewarding especially when you have your homemade pizza (and wine, but we won't talk about that now :))

This weekend I wanted to steer away from the traditional open-faced pizza and thought would go with this pizza braid. It was rich, delicious, moreish... Amazing!!

The nice thing is that you can go crazy with your toppings!! Put in whatever your heart desires or whatever you have on hand but I'd say stick with the garlic and parsley oil on top as that adds a tonne of flavour. It seeps nicely into the dough, leaving it super soft.

This recipe also makes for nice leftovers so don't be afraid to double up the recipe.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

This cake is a delight!! Soft, chocolaty, indulgent.... Pure bliss!! It doesn't require any flour which is where the lightness (and the name duhh) comes from. 

I first saw it on an old Nigella video recipe and decided to customise it a bit to my liking. 

I'd say it's an absolute showstopper for when you have visitors yet it's so easy to put together. I made it with my 2 year old and he thoroughly enjoyed helping, especially at the end... Decorating a cake with a little one is so much fun!!

What we really liked is the chocolate base going so well with the soft whipped cream but adding the berries and fresh mint on top takes it to a completely different cloud like level. I opted for raspberries on top but any berry you have on hand will absolutely do.

Now go ahead, get baking and treat yourself!!

Burek so Sirenje - Cheese Filo Pie

Where I come from this is the ultimate breakfast!! Everyone has a slice of burek. Whether you're on your way to work, school or a busy day of running errands, you can't resist the smell of fresh burek coming out of the town bakeries.

I had a craving for one this morning... And what's a girl to do? :-D Gotta buckle down and make some. Oh and trust me, this will make your house smell like a nice little bakery. Better than any candle for sure :-)

Olive Tapenade

For all the olive lovers out there... This is an amazing spread!! It gets together literally in 5min and lasts in the fridge for days. It's super duper delicious, and oh so satisfying!!!

Couple of weeks ago I went to London for lunch with some friends. They served this on a sharing platter with some warm bread and it was divine.

So when I got back home I decided to whip up my own version... And yeah, now I can't get enough :-)  You can use green or black olives, I opted for green here because that happened to be in the fridge, but a black tapenade is just as yummy!

Sweet Potato and Bacon Risotto

Sweet potatoes are super autumnal, wintery, comforting, delicious... There is something about them that makes the perfect meal when it's chilly outside. No wonder they are used so much around the Christmas holidays. You can probably find thousands of recipes out there to put them into and every single one of them is amazing.

Chocolate Macarons

Macarons... So delicious and delicate. So many people love them, but yet so few of them dare to make them. Yes, they do require a bit more TLC but once you set your mind to it you can do it.

These delicious bites of heaven were actually my husband's masterpiece. Since they were gone by the end of the night (yes, that's how yummy they are), I wanted to share the recipe. Just follow these steps and you'll be amazed by the baker inside you.

The Simple Bread Roll

I know I haven't been blogging for a little, but in between a wedding, new job and a bunch of other friends' and family celebrations to attend, I put my blog on the back burner...

So on this warm, autumnal Sunday I got the craving for some home made, soft rolls and I thought... Why not share the recipe?

The fact that these rolls are made without any eggs, milk and butter makes me rave even more about them. They are super light, soft and you can use them for pretty much anything...

Sandwiches, burgers, sausage rolls, gravy rolls...

Now you have endless possibilities to get creative here. You can either leave them plain or you can jazz them up a little bit. Right before you bake them you can brush them with olive oil and sprinkle whatever your heart desires:
sesame seeds, poppy

seeds, rock salt, salt and pepper, dried rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley, basil... Really anything. I went with Italian seasoning blend.

Makes 12

Ingredients:

- 1 packet of active dry yeast
- 2tbs sugar
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 2tbs vegetable oil
- 1tsp salt
- 4 cups plain flour

Process:

- In a bowl, add the yeast, sugar and warm water. Let it sit for about 5min or until bubbles start to form.
- Add the oil and salt and give it a stir. Start adding the flour little by little, while stirring the mixture with a wooden spoon. You should end up with a non-sticky dough, so you might have to add or subtract a few tablespoons of flour. Knead for about 5min. I used my mum's technique, throwing the dough in the air 100 times and let it fall on the surface :-)
- Put the dough in a greased bowl, cover it with a kitchen towel and put it aside for 1h so it can double in size.
- Then lay it on a lightly floured surface, punch the air out and divide it into 12 equal pieces. Form them into balls and put them on a lightly greased baking sheet, leaving about an inch in between.
- Lightly cover the rolls with greased cling film and let them rise for 45min. Brush them with olive oil and sprinkle your topping of choice (this step is optional).
- Preheat the oven to 200 C degrees. Bake for 12-14 min or until golden brown. Enjoy!

Bacon and Tomato Risotto

They say, if you can make risotto, you can make anything... Well honestly it's not that complicated :) I've perfected my way now and if you follow these steps, I promise you will end up with the creamiest, tastiest risotto you've ever had. So let's get going...

Grilled Veggie Pasta Salad

Pasta salads are so popular, aren't they? They go with pretty much anything and can be very diverse. But one thing that's so, so common in each one of them is... wait for it... yes you guessed... Fatty mayo!! Pasta is already a high-caloric dish, why add hundreds more calories in it? I decided to share my grilled veggie pasta salad with roasted garlic vinaigrette that blows everyone's mind once they try it.