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 :-)

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...

Pita Rustica

I love country food! It's warm, welcoming and super enjoyable. This definitely is a go-to recipe every time I am in a baking mood and it's always a hit. I've heard it being called pizza rustica, rustic pie, country pie, Easter ham pie..., but the first time I had it was called pita rustica and I am choosing to stick to that name :-)

Lightened up Mac & Cheese

Mac & Cheese is probably a meal that floats everyone's boat. It's quick, simple, delicious and requires just a handful of ingredients that we all have in the fridge. It's the perfect meal to make after a long work day, on a lazy weekend or really whenever you crave some Mac & Cheese. The bonus is: kids love it!!

Now, normally people finish the meal with putting breadcrumbs on top and baking, which is very delicious. This lighter version comes together in 10min on the stove top, there are no breadcrumbs, no baking, and it requires less sauce... Less calories, less fuss, still very delicious!!

Millet Cakes

Who thought healthy food can be so delicious? Not me, for sure :-)
This recipe came up not because I planned on making millet cakes, but because I wanted to empty my pantry. Have you ever gone into that cleaning mode and sworn that you'll first use up everything you have and then go food shopping? Yep, that's what happened today. So, I thought I'd give this a go and... WOW! So delicious, super crispy and very filling (yet, so few calories) :-D

Yummy Grilled Pizza

Who doesn't love pizza? It's quick to make and super delicious to enjoy! And what's the most fun part? Choosing the baking method and toppings!!! I wanted to sway from the traditional oven bake method, so I decided to grill it on the panini maker (you could also do it outside on the BBQ grill or in a griddle pan). Then, came the toppings part! I decided to use up all the leftovers I had in the fridge :-) So feel free to do any combinations you like, because the possibilities are really endless. Any leftover sauce, meat and cheese will work! So let's get going...

Dad's Leek & Feta Crumpled Pie

I've had this pie on a few occasions now, and every time it tastes better than ever. It's my dad's proven recipe and since he is so awesome, I've decided to watch him make it, help around and put the recipe up, so everyone else can enjoy it :-) The great part is that you can fill it with absolutely anything your heart desires... Veggies work (spinach works really well), meat... Really, any leftovers would do :-) The only "must" is that you really MUST try it because it's extremely delicious, yet quick and easy.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

- 30 filo (phyllo) pastry sheets (might need a few more or less, depending on the size of the baking dish)
- 1kg leeks, finely chopped
- 300g feta cheese, crumbled
- 250g butter
- 50ml water
- 3tbs vegetable oil
- salt and pepper to taste

Process:

- In a skillet, add the oil, leeks and seasoning. Sauté for about 10min over a medium high heat. Mix in the cheese and set aside.
- Preheat your oven to 200 C degrees and generously brush a baking dish with oil.
- Place 4 filo sheets on the bottom, letting the edges fall out on each side.

- Place a filo sheet on a cutting board* and sprinkle some of the leek and cheese mixture. Crumple it with your hand and place it in the dish. Repeat the process and line up the crumples one next to another.

- Melt the butter and water together. Spoon the mixture over the crumples, then put the hanging edges of pastry on top to act as a cover. If they aren't long enough to cover the pie, place a whole filo sheet on top, to ensure the pie is covered.

- Bake for 15min, then flip by putting a plate or another baking dish on top, flipping the pie and sliding it back in. Bake for another 25min and enjoy this delicious Pita!

* Place a clean plastic bag on the cutting board, so you ensure easy movement for the pastry. If it's hard to move around, the pastry might break.

Rigatoni With Butternut Squash and Pancetta

I had a butternut squash in the fridge and wanted to try something with it. So, I came across a great recipe that I'd like to share. It's amazingly delicious :)
The recipe is by Laura Vitale and here is a link to get all the ingredients and instructions:

http://www.laurainthekitchen.com/all/episode.php?episodenumber=478

Enjoy!

Creamy Fresh Tomato and Garlic Marinara

Being in Macedonia for a couple of weeks and enjoying the fresh tomatoes, I just can't get enough of them :-) But what happens when you don't eat them quickly enough and they start to get soft? You make a delicious pasta sauce! :-) Adding cream cheese to the sauce gives it some extra richness but you can get creative and put anything you like. This is what I did:

Serves 4

Ingredients:

- 4 medium-sized tomatoes, chopped into bite-size pieces
- 3 cloves of garlic, sliced
- 4tbs plain cream cheese (double cream works too)
- 3tbs olive oil
- 1lb uncooked pasta
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3tbs fresh chopped parsley (any fresh herb works)
- grated cheese to sprinkle on top (any cheese works)

 Process:

- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, drain and set aside.
- In a sauce pan, drizzle some olive oil, set the heat to medium and add the garlic immediately to infuse with the cold oil. Let it go for 6-8min or until the garlic is golden brown.
- Add the tomatoes, give them a good stir, increase the heat to a medium-high and let them cook for about 10min or until saucy consistency.
- When the tomatoes are done cooking, add the cream cheese. Check for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper.
- Add the fresh parsley and give it a good stir.
- Add the pasta to the sauce, give it a good toss, add grated cheese on top and enjoy!

No Bake Very Berry Cheesecake

Cheesecake is one of those desserts that everyone enjoys, right? And when you make it on the counter without using the oven is even more awesome. Yep, that's right... While other things are cooking, you can whip this cheesecake up and I promise everyone will love it.

Serves 10-12

Ingredients and process:

Base:

- 400g biscuits, crushed in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin

- 250g butter

- 3tbs honey

- 1/2tsp cinnamon

- Place the biscuits and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Melt the butter and honey together, pour over the biscuits, mix until everything is coated and place it in a foil-lined cake tin. Pat and even it well.

Filling:

- 400g plain cream cheese (room temperature)

- 250g sugar

- 1 lemon, zest and juice

- 2 sachets gelatin powder

- 8tbs cold water

- 500g heavy whipping or double cream

- Mix the cream cheese, sugar, lemon zest and juice together and set aside.

- Cover the the gelatin with the 8tbs cold water, let it sit for 10min, then warm up to liquidise and set aside.

- Whip the double cream until stiff peaks, add the gelatin and fold in the cream cheese mixture.

- Spoon it over the biscuit layer and place in the fridge for 5h to set.
- After it's set, carefully place it on serving plate.

Topping:

- 43g vanilla custard powder

- 5tbs sugar

- 300g frozen berries in juice (any other fruit works too)
- 300ml water

- In a small bowl mix the custard powder with 5tbs water spooned out from the 300ml water. Stir until well mixed. Put the rest of the water in a pot, add sugar and bring it to a boil. Add the berries together with their juice and stir. Slowly start adding the custard mix and stir for about a minute until the mix starts to get thick. Let it cool completely, then spoon and spread it over the cake. Enjoy!

Lemon & Basil Pasta

I love using fresh herbs! Basil is probably my favourites and if I had enough on hand, I would probably use it every day :-) So since the plant I have in the kitchen was growing pretty quickly, I decided to make this pasta dish and it turned out pretty nicely.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

- 500g pasta (any shape or size you have)

- 25-30 basil leaves, finely chopped

- 1 lemon, squeezed

- 1 garlic clove, minced

- 6tbs olive oil

- salt and pepper to taste

- parmesan cheese to taste, grated

Process:

- Boil the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain, but don't rinse.

- Put the pasta back in the pot and add the rest of the ingredients except the cheese and a few basil leaves. Give it a good toss.

- Add the cheese, taste for seasoning and adjust. Sprinkle the few basil leaves on top, give it a gentle toss and enjoy!

Pizza Quesadilla

Ok, so you really don't need a recipe for this. It's one of those meals that came from leftovers. I made pizza last week and since I had some pizza sauce, olives and cheese left, I decided to make some pizza quesadillas. My pizza sauce contains passata, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper and of course this is all to taste. But you can use any pizza sauce you prefer.

 Serves 2

 Ingredients:

- 4 flour tortillas
- pizza sauce of your choice
- grated cheese of your choice
- sliced olives of your choice

 Process:

- In a large skillet on a medium high heat place a flour tortilla, spoon as much or as little pizza sauce on one half of the tortilla and sprinkle some cheese and olives.
- When the cheese starts to melt, flip the half without any sauce on top, grill on both sides until the tortilla is golden brown and crispy and enjoy!

No Yeast Pizza

After figuring that I have leftover tomato sauce, cheese, sausage and olives in the fridge, I thought: PIZZA! But then I realized I didn't have any yeast. So, since the idea of having pizza for dinner was stuck in my head I decided to research some no-yeast pizza recipes online. It seems like there are thousands of those, so I decided to give my own spin on it and I've gotta say it turned out amazingly delicious.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

- 1 3/4 cups self raising flour*
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water
- 3tbs olive oil
- a pinch of salt

Process:

- Place all ingredients in a bowl. Mix until the mixture becomes doughy.
- Put the dough on a generously floured surface and start kneading. If the dough is too sticky, sprinkle some more flour and keep kneading until it's no longer sticky.
- Wrap it in cling film and let it rest for 30min. This will make it more manageable.
- Preheat oven to 200 C degrees.
- Roll the dough to a desired pizza size, transfer it into an oiled baking dish and brush it with olive oil. Bake it for 5min.
- Put your toppings on, then bake it for additional 15min or until golden brown. Enjoy!

* You can use plain flour also, but make sure you add 1tsp baking powder so the dough rises.

Beef Cannelloni

I love cannelloni and I happened to have a few begs of bechamel sauce in the fridge so I thought I should give this a try. I like using the no pre-boil pasta because it seems like it's easier to handle. Here is what I did:

Serves 2

Ingredients:

- 22 no pre-boil cannelloni tubes
- 800g minced beef
- 600g bechamel sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- cheddar and parmesan cheese to taste

Process:

- Preheat your oven to 180 C degrees.
- Season the beef with salt and pepper and mix it around so it's seasoned all over.
- Fill the cannelloni tubes with the meat.
- Spoon a little bit of the bechamel sauce on the bottom of the baking dish, place the cannelloni tubes and cover them with the rest of the sauce.
- Sprinkle parmesan cheese, then cover with cheddar cheese.
- Cover the dish with a piece of aluminium foil and bake for 20min. Then uncover, put the heat up to 200 C degrees and bake for additional 10min.
- Let it cool for about 10min and enjoy!

Spinach Pie (Spanakopita)

Being that I am from the Mediterranean and this is something we eat on a weekly basis, I decided to share my recipe for a delicious spinach pie. I know many people love using puff pastry, but back home you mostly find this wrapped in filo pastry. Sooo, here it goes...

Serves 2

Ingredients:

- 250g fresh spinach, stocks removed and roughly chopped
- 100g feta cheese, crumbled
- 1/4 onion, finely chopped
- 6 filo (phyllo) pastry sheets, defrosted and kept under a moist towel
- 3tbs olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste

Process:

- Preheat your oven to 190 C degrees.
- In a medium size saucepan bring water to a boil, put the spinach in, cover it and let it go for 2min. This will soften the spinach and make it more enjoyable.
- Drain the spinach, rinse it under cold water and press it so you take all the moisture out.
- In a bowl mix the spinach with the cheese crumbles, onion, salt and pepper.
- Take a casserole dish, brush the bottom with olive oil and start layering the filo sheets at a different angle, brushing each one with olive oil. Make sure half of the sheet is in the dish and the other half is out.
- Spoon the spinach mixture in the dish and once it's all in, take the filo parts that hang out of the dish and fold them on top of the mixture brushing each one with olive oil, as well. When the last piece of filo pastry is in, brush the whole pie with olive oil.
- Bake the pie for 30-35min and enjoy!

Grilled Eggplant Parmesan

After hearing so many people that they love eggplant parm but are afraid to make it because it comes out bitter, I've decided to share my recipe so I can take the fear away from you :-) Also, I've decided to skip the frying process and grill the eggplant insted, which makes it more of a guilt-free dish :-)

Serves 2

Ingredients:

- 3 eggplants
- cheddar and parmesan cheese to taste, grated
- 2 cans of crushed tomatoes
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- a few fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

 Process:

- In a sauce pan add 1tbs olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic until soft. Sprinkle a little bit of salt so the onion sweats and softens quicker.
- When soft add the can of tomatoes, give it a stir, season with salt and pepper, cover it and let it go on a medium heat for 15min. Then set aside.
- Peel the eggplant, cut it into thin circles or slices and salt each one of them. Let it stand for about an hour so the bitterly water comes out. After an hour pat dry the eggplant to get the extra moisture out. This is a key step!
- Preheat your oven to 180 C degrees. Place the eggplant circles on a baking sheet, sprinkle some salt and pepper and let them roast for 20min, flipping them half way through. Don't turn the oven off.
- In a casserole dish spoon a little bit of the tomato sauce.
- Lay a layer of eggplant circles, add a spoon of the tomato sauce on top and sprinkle some cheddar and parmesan cheese.
- Repeat the process until all the eggplant circles are layered. Finish with tomato sauce and cheese.
- Place the dish back in the oven, bake for about 20min, let it cool for a little bit, sprinkle the basil leaves on top and enjoy!

Caesar Salad with Eggplant Bacon

Since I had an eggplant in the fridge and didn't know what to do with it, I crisped it up and added it to my Caesar salad. It turned out delicious!!

I know many people are afraid to use eggplants because they can be a little bitter, but if you peel, slice and salt them first, they'll be delicious. The salt gets the bitterly water out of them and they are nothing but a delight :) 

Serves 2

Ingredients:

- 2 cups any lettuce, chopped
- 1tbs anchovy paste
- 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 slices bread of your choice
- 1 eggplant
- 2tbs olive oil
- 3tbs vegetable oil
- salt and pepper to taste

Process:

- Cut the bread into cubes, drizzle olive oil, add the minced garlic and bake on 150 C degrees for 30min. When the croutons are crispy, let them cool down.
- Peel and thinly slice the eggplant. Put some salt on each slice and let it stand for about 30min so the bitterly water comes out. Then fry in hot oil until crispy and let it cool. When cool cut into bite-size pieces.
- To make the ceasar dressing, squeeze the lemon in a salad bowl, then add the anchovy paste and cheese.
- Add the lettuce, and give it a stir. Add the croutons and eggplant pieces and enjoy!

Spinach & Parmesan pancakes

As a big fan of savory pancakes, I had to share this recipe.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

- 1 cup self-raising flour
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup milk
- 200g steamed baby spinach
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (any grated cheese would work)
- salt and pepper to taste
- cooking spray

Process:

- Mix the flour, water, milk, spinach and cheese together.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- In a skillet spray some cooking spray and on medium heat spoon a little bit of the mixture.
- When bubbles start to occur, you can flip the pancake.
- Keep in the skillet until golden brow, set aside and enjoy!

Tip: If you want to use regular flour, add 1/2tsp baking powder so the dough get light and fluffy.

Basil & Tomato Pasta Salad

This is a great alternative for those who are fans of pasta salads, but would like to replace the old, boring mayo dressing. The lemon-basil-garlic-olive oil combination is just unbeatable :)

Serves 2

Ingredients:

- 250g cooked pasta, drained and cooled
- 3 fresh tomatoes, diced
- 100g fresh basil
- 100g any cheese, shredded
- 1 lemon, juiced
- a pinch of dry oregano
- a pinch of granulated garlic
- 2tbs olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste

Process:

- Place the basil leaves, lemon juice, oregano, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper in a food processor and blend till everything is finely chopped. Transfer the dressing to a salad bowl.
- Add the diced tomatoes, cheese and cooked pasta.
- Stir everything together, check if the seasoning is right and enjoy!

Camembert and Parmesan Mac & Cheese

Another leftover recipe :) I had different cheeses in the fridge, so I decided to give it a shot. I never thought of putting Camembert in mac & cheese, but now I love it. It gives the dish a nice twist.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

- 20g all purpose flour
- 40g unsalted butter
- 300g milk
- 175g Camembert cheese, cut into thin slices
- 100g Parmesan cheese, grated
- 250g macaroni (any pasta works)
- breadcrumbs
- 1tbs olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste

Process:

- Preheat oven to 200 C degrees.
- In a large saucepan bring water to boil, add a good amount of salt and put pasta in. Cook till al dente.
- To make the bechamel sauce, place the flour and butter in a saucepan and mix together on a medium heat.
- When a paste is formed, start incorporating the milk little by little. Stir until the sauce becomes thick and creamy.
- Turn the heat off, add the Camembert and Parmesan cheese. Stir everything together.
- Place the pasta and sauce in a casserole dish and stir till pasta is coated.
- Sprinkle some breadcrumbs and olive oil on top, bake for 20min and enjoy!