Decadent

Unavoidably, Christmas time is all about gorging yourself on sweets. The richer the better, to keep those freezing temperatures in check. Growing an extra layer of fat, you know :) So in fact I thought it only appropriate to call this gorgeous ice-cream recipe (requiring NO ice-cream machine!) decadent. [A decadent person or group has low moral standards, definition given by Cambridge dictionaries online]. Indeed. Once you try it, you are lost. It’s creamy and somehow produces only an urge to have MORE! MORE! MORE!!!!!!!! It was really difficult to stop, honestly.
I modified the recipe slightly, after having read all the comments on the website. I whipped the cream first, until it was rather thick, but still soft, and then let the condensed milk treacle in, with the beaters still running (I dumped the whole 397 g can, by the way), and then whipped some more. And then off into the freezer, I popped my ice-cream in at about 2 PM, and in the evening it was already frozen. It gets harder, though, the more it freezes, and I found it helpful to let it thaw a bit (I put it in the fridge then, though) – some 15-20 minutes, and it’s easier to scoop. Many people complained about greasy residue in the mouth  - well, I didn’t have this! Perhaps the cream was just overbeaten, easy mistake, unfortunately, if you beat just a tiny bit too long. Or if you eat it straight from the freezer. I’ve just did this, and yes, it could be something in it. Ok, I’d better finish this post, otherwise I’ll gobble up the second container here and now. And then… and then… I’d better call the ambulance, considering the amount of fat and sugar rushed into my body. But oh my, so delicious!

Eat Your Veggies Cottage Pie

Long time, no blogging. Though it was loooots of knitting, in the midst of all the chaos typical for moving house-situation. But knitting has to wait a bit, since most of the things are unblocked (perfectionist as I am, the project is a WIP until it has been blocked. I even weave in ends first time after blocking).

To get myself into a blogging modus after such a long hiatus, I’ll start with a recipe, kids- and adult friendly to boot – enter Cottage Pie. There are loads of recipes for it on the internet, in books and everywhere else, but I’d like to share my (highly unique?) version of it, packed with vegetables and pretty light. It was tested today by a 16-months old guy, and the verdict was – ya, Mum, you can do it again some time (well, that’s my free translation anyway).

Cottage pie as I know it is nothing else than a meat sauce covered with mashed potatoes and baked in the oven. Let’s start with the meat sauce:

500 g minced meat (I prefer beef only)

veggies: 1 onion, 2 carrots,1 zucchini,a celery stick

up to 0,5 l vegetable or beef broth

2-3 tbsp tomato puree

I start with sautéing the onion, then add the diced carrots and celery and let them melt a bit together, then tip the zucchini in. Add the meat, broth and tomato puree. Let the sauce boil up, then reduce the heat and leave it simmer gently for half an hour or so. (I use a similar sauce for lasagna too, often with some aubergines as well – yam!)

In the meanwhile, peel 1 kg potatoes and boil them until soft, then mash with a slab of butter and a few spoons of warm milk – just remember it shouldn’t get as creamy as regular mashed potatoes.

Get your oven warm, 180 °C.

Now the assembly: put the meat sauce at the bottom of an ovenproof dish and top with the mashed potatoes (in my case there was a certain mingling of meat and potatoes, but it didn’t spoil anything in the end; it helps to use the back of the spoon here). Pop your creation in the oven for some 20 min – pronto!