Burnt Carrot Cake...how to save it

When you try to do too many chores at once, often some of them don't end up done in a good way. 

The other day I tried to squeeze painting my kitchen walls, baking a carrot cake and organising bills all at same time...I know - silly ... that's why my cake burnt!

 Anyway, if that happens to you sometimes, here's what to do...

Take cake out of the pan; place it on a cooling rack and let it cool. Take a sharp knife (finely serrated ones are the best) and start scratching burnt parts. In some cases, deeper burnt parts have to be cut off. After you got rid of all nasty bits,  brush off tiny dark particles, left after scratching. Continue with icing / decorating as usual...no-one will even notice your mistake!

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar 

3 eggs

3/4 cup oil

2 cups grated carrots

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

(grated orange rind, or 1 tsp spice mix or 1 tsp cinnamon for flavour)

Icing-

1/2 cream cheese (125 g)

1/3 cup icing sugar

1/3 cup milk powder

(or your favourite icing)

Method:

Preheat oven to 170*C; pripare a cake tin.

Beat sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add oil; mix well. Add all other ingredients with flour and walnuts at the end. Fold in by hand. Transfer mixture into a cake tin and bake for 35-45 minutes. Take out and cool.

For icing- beat all ingredients until smooth and fluffy. Spread over the top, cut and serve.

Zagoreni Kolac od Mrkve

Kada pokusavate da obavite nekoliko poslova u isto vrijeme, cesto neki od njih ne budu uradjeni kako treba. Prije neki dan sam pokusala bojiti zidove kuhinje, ispeci kolac i organizovati racune uisto vrijeme....Znam - ludo...zato mi je izgorio kolac!

U svakom slucaju, ako se nesto slicno desi vama, evo sta da uradite...

Izvadite kolac iz kalupa; ostavite ga hladiti na mrezi. Uzmite ostar noz (sitno nazubljeni su najbolji) i pocnite strugati izgorenu povrsinu. Ako je neophodno, odrezite dijelove koji su vise uhvaceni. Posto ste odstranili zlobne dijelove, ocetkajte sitne izgorene mrvice koje su preostale. Nastavite sa dekorisanjem na uobicajen nacin...niko nece niti primijetiti vasu gresku!

Potrebno:

1 solja secera

3 jaja

3/4 solje ulja

2 solje rendane mrkve

1 solja sjeckanih oraha

1 k vanila esencije

2 solje brasna

2 k praska za pecivo

(ribana korica narandze, ili mjesavina mirisnih zacina, ili 1 k cimeta za aromu)

Premaz-

1/2 krem sira (125gr)

1/3 soljesecerau prahu

1/3 solje mlijeka u prahu

(ili vas omiljeni premazujuci krem)

Nacin:

Ukljuc ite rernu na 170*C, pripremite kalup.

Mutite secer  sa jajima.Dodajte ulje, dobro izmijesajte. Dodajte sve ostale sastojke; brasno i orahe na kraju. Izmijesajte lagano rukom. Uspite u kalup i pecite 35-45 minuta. Izvadite i ohladite.

Za premaz miksajte sir, secer i mlijeko u prahu dok nepostane kremasto. Prekrijte kolac, rezite i servirajte.

rexipe / Foter / CC BY

Bosnian Pot

It was beginning  of October when we returned to my birth town. Weather was still warm, and my parents' garden full of vegetarian goodness. Much loved 'Bosnian Pot' was waiting for us at the table - my mom's creation. According to Wikipedia -" Bosnian Pot (Bosanski Lonac) is an authentic Bosnian culinary speciality, appreciated for its rich taste and flexibility. It is impossible to define the recipe for Bosanski lonac, as there are many variations, but the main ingredients are mostly the same: meat and various vegetables."

Traditionally, it's made in a clay pot, cooked slowly using any vegetable / meat available at the time. 

Some sources show that this kind of food was first created by Bosnian miners, who would dig a hole in ground before their shift, make fire, layer large earthenware pots with chunky cut vegetables and some meat and leave it for 8 hours while they're underground doing their job. The dish became very popular for it's flexibility, 'no attending time' and taste. 

I like Bosnian Pot with lots of potatoes, cabbage, lamb and beef and flavoured with parsley and garlic.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup oil

2 onions, chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, chopped 

1/2 kg lamb with bones

1/2 kg beef, chunks

carrots, parsnip, celery

tomatoes (4-6)

6-8 potatoes

2 capsicums

1 eggplant

1/2 small cabage

8-10 black pepper corns  (whole)

Paprika and bay leaves (optional)

salt  / vegetable stock powder

2 dl white whine or water

parsley leaves and crushed garlic for topping

Method: 

Heat oil in a large pot. Layer all chunky cut vegetables and meat according to your likings. Put all spices and wine on top, cover tightly and leave to cook slow for few hours. Garnish with parsley and garlic when served.

Bosanski Lonac

Bio je pocetak oktobra kad smo se vratili u moj rodni kraj. Vrijeme je jos uvijek bilo toplo, a basta mojih roditelja puna vegetarijanske dobrote. Veoma zeljen Bosanski Lonac nas je cekao na stolu - kreacija moje mame.

Prema 'Wikipediji': "Bosanski Lonac je autenticna Bosanska kulinarska specijalnost, cijenjena zbog bogatog ukusa i fleksibilnosti u spremanju. Nemoguce je dati tacan recept za Bosanski Lonac, posto postoje mnoge varijacije, ali glavni sastojci su uglavnom meso i razlicito povrce."

Tradicionalno. ovo je jelo pripremano u zemljanim posudama, krckajuci dugo na nizim temperaturama i koristeci bilo koje povrce i meso koje je dostupno.

Prema nekim izvorima, rudari su bili prvi koji su pripremali ovakvu vrstu hrane. Kopali bi rupe u zemlji prije odlaska u rudnik, lozili vatru, slozili slojeve krupno rezanog mesa i povrca u zemljanim posudama i ostavljali ih pokrivene 8 sati  da kckaju (za vrijeme radnog vremena).

Ovakav nacin kuhanja je postao popularan sirom Bosne iz vise razloga - fleksibilnost u namirnicama, nema potrebe za nadziranjem, kao i ukus.

Ja licno ga volim sa mnogo krompira, kupusa i mjesavinu jagnjetine i govedine, zacinjenu persinom i bijelim lukom.

Sastojci:

1/4 solje ulja

2 crvena luka, sjeckana

3-4 cena bijelog luka

1/2 kg jagnjetine s kostima

1/2 kg govedine, veci komadi

mrkva, persun, celer

paradajz (4-6)

6-8 krompira

2 parike

1 patlidzan

1/2 manjeg kupusa

8-10 zrna crnog bibera

mljevena crvena parika i lovor (po zelji)\

so / vegeta

2 dl bijelog vina ili vode 

lisce persuna i protisnuti bijeli luk za serviranje

Nacin:

Zagrijte ulje u vecoj posudi (sa poklopcem), dodajte slojeve krupno rezanog povrca i mesa. Ubacite zacine i zalijte vinom / vodom. Poklopite i krckajte nekoliko sati. Pri sluzenju pospite persunovim liscem i protisnutim bijelim lukom.

Satay Beef Salad ...or...My oven - episode 3

My oven door 'exploded'!...It went down in a million little pieces; and it's not first time - 

a year ago it happened already... The front (external) door simply broke for no reasons, leaving only internal glass attached.  Now I'm  in search for another  part  (again)....grrrr!

NOT HAPPY 'Whirlpool' / Ikea!

 Ingredients:

1 Large slice of rump steak (salt, pepper, oil for grilling)

1 Spanish onion, sliced

1 medium carrot, grated

1-2 cups bean sprouts

small bunch of coriander leaves, roughly chopped

10-15 sugarsnap peas (mangetout) , sliced diagonally

Satay sauce dressing-

1/2 tbs oil

1/2 tbs red curry paste

1/3 cup peanut butter

1/2 can coconut milk

juice of 1/2 lime

1 tsp brown (or palm) sugar

a bit of fish sauce or salt to taste

(or, use commercial satay sauce) 

Method:

Make sauce first, if you're not using already prepared.

Heat oil, fry curry paste for 30 sec, then add coconut milk and peanut butter. Mix well, bring to boil and take off of heat. Mix in fish sauce, sugar and lime juice.

Grill or pan fry seasoned steak, leaving it slightly pinky inside; let it rest.

Meanwhile, mix all sliced ingredients for salad, place it into a shalow dish. Place sliced steak on top of salad and pour satay dressing. Enjoy!

Satay Salata sa Ramstekom...ili ...Moja rerna - epizoda 3

Vrata  moje rerne su eksplorirala!...Rasula se u milion malih djelica, i to nije prvi put- prije godinu dana se to vec jednom desilo...Prednja (spoljna) vrata su jednostavno popucala bez ikakvog razloga, ostavljajuci samo unutarnje staklo u okviru. Eto sad sam u potrazi za jos jednim dijelom (opet)...grrr!

NISAM ZADOVOLJNA 'Whirlpool' / Ikea!

Potrebno:

1 veci ramstek (so, biber i ulje za pecenje)

1 ljubicasti luk, sjecen na rebarca

1 srednja mrkva, rendana

1-2 solje izdanaka graha / boba

mali svezanj lisca korijandera, krupno rezanog

10-15 mangetout mahuna (pljosnate), rezane dijagonalno

Satay preliv-

1/2 K ulja

1/2 K crvenog karija

1/3 solje kikiriki maslaca

1/2 konzerve kokosovog mlijeka

sok 1/2 limete

1 k braon (ili palminog) secera 

malo ribljeg sosa ili so prema ukusu

(ili, koristite gotovi satay sos)

Nacin:

Najprije napravite satay sos, ako ne koristite gotovi.

Zagrijte ulje, proprzite kari, dodajte mlijeko i maslac. Promijesajte dobro, pa zacinite sa ostalim sastojcima.

Zagrijte tavu i ispecite meso, ostavljajuci ga blago ruzicastim unutra. Neka se odmori.

Pomijesajte sve sastojke za salatu i stavite na vecu, plitku posudu. Izrezite meso na trake i poredajte ga preko salate. Prelijte pripremljenim sosom. Uzivajte!