recipe

Chickpea Salad with Tuna

- Tobia 2 Comments

Hello hello,

today I have a quick home cooked salad for you. cooked salad you wonder. Yes! I love food that is warm. I also like salad. So I often mix the best of both: cooked veggies and some cold ingredients. For today I raided my pantry and I came up with a glass of cooked chick peas and can of tuna. This is how the Chickpea Salad with Tuna was born.

chickpea salad with tuna

 

Are you ready. Here is what you need:

🖤 chopped shallot
🖤 chopped clove
🖤 glass of pre-cooked chickpeas
🖤 handfuls of chopped tomatoes
🖤 twig of rosemary
🖤 salt, pepper, lemon juice
🖤 can of tuna
🖤 handful of lettuce/spinach/chard, etc

Let’s get cooking:

  1. Preheat olive oil in pan. Add chopped shallot and clove. Saute.
  2. Add chickpeas and let simmer for a bit.
  3. Add tomatoes and rosemary.
  4. Let simmer until everything looks good but is not all broken up.
  5. Remove from heat.
  6. Add tuna and spice to liking.
  7. Add salad greens and serve immediately.

Next time I do this dish I will probably add a bit of avocado too.

Let me know if you give this a try and how you’ve liked it.

Happy weekend y’all,

Tobia

Spicy Fruit Punch for winter days

- Tobia 2 Comments

After being locked up for the last few days I needed to get outside today. I knew it got cold but I was still a bit surprised how cold it was. Winter was in the air. I could almost smell snowflakes but not quite yet. When I was strolling the streets I thought to myself this will be a really cold long winter. We hadn’t had those in a while. I am looking forward. Just need to get used to the cold. Cold air makes everything feel fresh and new. However when I came home I was chilled to the bone. Time for a spicy fruit punch to warm me up.

craftaliciousme seeking creative life Spicy fruit punch

Good thing I had all the ingredients already at hand. Let me invite you for a glass and if you are not able to stop by let me share the recipe with you.

What you need:

♥ bag of homemade chai tea
♥ redcurrant juice
♥ mint

Preparations are quite simple. Boil the chai tea in water and let simmer for about 30 mins. Add approx. same amount of juice to the concoction. Heat up. Fill in glass and decorate with min leaves.

craftaliciousme seeking creative life Spicy fruit punch

If you enjoy this recipe you might also like Kuuma Karpalomehu – Finnish Hot Cranberry Juice. Now I wander what your favourite hot drink during winter time is. Let me know so I can give it a try.

Happy winter,

Tobia

spicy fruit punch for cold winter days

Grandmas Herb Soup and the discovery of unknown herbs

- Tobia 4 Comments

Hey There,

Last year my Mom stopped by and and handed over a few items she thought I would like from my grandparent. They just got done cleaning out the apartment after my gradpa had passed away. I didn’t really have any items I wanted or had specially requested. However I did mention that I would like to have all photography, baking and crafting related items they came across so I could have a look at them. For some reason my mom added my grandmas very old and torn up cook book in there that no one had claimed. And I am beyond happy that it ended up in my possession. I am not a very good cook as I am more the baking kinda girl. However if I know how to do one thing it is how to cook a good soup out of nothing.

craftaliciousme seeking creative life Grandmas Herb Soup

So when I opened this book I was in for a double surprise:
1. a personal inscription by my grandpa for their 1. wedding anniversary and
2. a vast dedication of soup recipes savoury and sweet with forgotten ingredients.

Right then I decided I will will put some dedication into trying all those crazy old recipes. Ok maybe not all because honestly I really can’t find any reason to try “Brain Soup” let alone try to find out were to get that stuff in Berlin. I am sure Julia would help me out if I really would put my heart into it though. But besides that one there are quite interesting ones in there like “Elderflower Soup” or “Bread Soup”

However for the first one though I picked the Grandmas Herb Soup.

craftaliciousme – Grandma Herb Soup

Here is the recipe:

  • 30g butter
  • 40g semolina (or flour)
  • 1 litre vegetable broth
  • 5 grains of allspices (whole)
  • 5 junipers
  • 3 bayleaves
  • 2 tbs herbs (I used love parsley, parsley, tarragon and rosemary – however the original recipe called for: parsley, chervil, sorrel or a mixture of yarrow, dandelion, ground ivy, stinging nettle and Good-King Henry. Some of those I have never heard of. But I can see why sorrel or dandelion would taste good in it.)

 

 

Grandmas Herb Soup detail

The recipe called for a “Light Roux” as a ground base for the soup. While I was always scared of doing this when doing sauces I read that you could substitute the flower with semolina. For some reason this appealed to me so much more then the flour version. (And I know how to do hot semolina.)

  1. Melt butter. Stir in Semolina and add a bit of broth if necessary. Deglaze.
  2. Add in allspice, bayleaf and junipers and let simmer for 15 minutes.
  3. Chop herbs.
  4. Add in herbs.
  5. Season and enjoy.

It really is that simple. And you don’t really need much. The semolina is filling and the herbs give taste. I can imagine adding a bit of mushrooms in too. Anyhow I am amazed of how simple cooking was in the 50ies and the herbs they suggested is what we consider weeds now. So basically you only need a walk across the meadow and stuff you most likely have at home anyways.

 

craftaliciousme Grandma Herb Soup cookbook

Do you have one of those recipes from that has been passed down or that you discovered in an old book? Link it please so I can have look.

Happy cooking,

Tobia

 

Disclaimer: This post contains links to other Blogs. Due to current (German) law this needs to be labelled advertising. Furthermore I have linked a few of my older articles because I believe you might enjoy them. 

Finnish inspired Hot Cranberry Juice – Kuuma Karpalomehu

- Tobia 4 Comments

[Advertising • unpaid mentioning of stuff]

Good morning,

Once a year I invite you for a Finnish meal on my blog. We had cake and breakfast and last year some Salmon Soup. High time for a warming drink.

Kuuma Karpalomehu Hot finnish Cranberry Juice

When we enjoyed our honeymoon in Lapland we were often served a hot drink when sitting by the fire warming up after our outdoor adventures with huskies and reindeers.

As vegetation is scarce so far up north it doesn’t surprise that there isn’t a huge variety of juices, fruits and vegetables available. It is mirrored in the food and drink choices. So besides coffee – that is served religiously – you can drink Hot Cranberry Juice everywhere. And I mean everywhere…

For me this was somewhat of a light bolt moment. I mean sure I know of hot cider and shared my recipe here but for some reason I never really thought about heating up other juices. But I really took a liking to it. Now when I drink this it takes me right back to my honeymoon, the snow covered countryside, the crystal clear air, my cold cheeks and this deep felt happiness. Come join my be making yourself a pot!

Here is my personal version of this Finnish Hot Cranberry Juice –  Kuuma Karpalomehu

♥︎ 1/2 cup cranberry sirup (I used the one from here)
♥︎ 2-3 cups of water
♥︎ one bag of my homemade chai tea
♥︎ a slice of ginger

Bring water, ginger and chai tea to boil and let simmer for 30 min. Add sirup and let simmer for 5-10 min. The longer the sirup will cook the sweeter the concoction will get. I prefer spicy over sweet but adapt to your liking.

finnish cranberry juice

I will dream a bit more of my honeymoon, enjoy my fourth wedding anniversary and dream of more trips and vacations. And you stop by for dinner next year. I already know what I am serving.
Or please sooner I don’t mind!

Happy day to you,

Tobia

finnish hot cranberry juice-5

Fruity Warm Breakfast Oats – 6 Variations

- Tobia 6 Comments

I like warm breakfast. It doesn’t really matter if it is winter or summer really. For me something warm to start the day is just comforting.

I discovered this recipe in a detoxing book. There it was said, that the human body was actually build to eat more soups, mashes and purees and especially in the morning. It was some argument about looking back in history that all the ancient civilizations and most all of the indigenous people up until today have done so. Just think about millet gruel, oatmeal gruel, bread soup…

Anyhow, I am not that fanatic but I found the thought interesting. And the recipe about warm oatmeal was sounding pretty good too. Of course I pimped it a bit and it is not really detox (I think you were supposed to cook with water but I think that is the most disgusting thing there is).

Here is the main recipe and then I have a few variations for you:

❤︎ 3-5 tbsp rolled oatmeal
❤︎ milk, enough so that the oatmeal is covered
❤︎ cinnamon – lots of it (it’s supposed to tame appetite… I just love it!)
❤︎ fruit of choice – my go to is apple and specifically Pink Lady as they taste the best here

Fruity Warm Breakfast Oats apple

Put oatmeal and cinnamon in pan and cover with milk. Let simmer until milk is almost gone. While it cooks prepare your fruit. I usually stir in the fruits and let sit on the hot stove for a bit as I like it semi-warm.

I sometimes swap the apple for pears. I always wonder if there is something better than cinnamon to go with pears…

Fruity Warm Breakfast Oats pears

Then of course as soon as the season of strawberries rolls around this is my go to and I sometimes add a bit of mint or basil:

Fruity Warm Breakfast Oats strawberries

Then I also love love love red currents. This needs additional sugar though. I sometimes use plain brown sugar other times fancy coconut flower sugar:

Fruity Warm Breakfast Oats red current

When I make a bowl with blueberries I usually add a bit of vanilla:

Fruity Warm Breakfast Oats vanilla

And then when fall comes around I really love plums and cinnamon.

Fruity Warm Breakfast Oats plums

Tomorrow I will try a new version with grapefruits. What is your idea? And will you give it a try?

Happy breakfast,

Tobia