Pork bites in sweet and sour sauce (Thai-style)

This was a Thai-inspired sauce for the little pork bits based on lime, ginger, coconut and spices. It tastes hot but fresh and creamy but light. It truly was delicious, even for me (not being a big pork fan). Enjoy :)

Last year: Teriyaki salmon fillets, Mushroom, pickled cucumber and cheese salad, Danish pastries with strawberry and cream cheese filling and Green pasta with Jamon serrano, Parmesan, mozzarella and olives.

Mâncare de mazăre (My mom's pea stew) (Romanian) (vegan)

This is a very common stew my mom makes for lent days. She made it earlier this year while visiting us to help with our little girl Mira who was just born :) and I took the chance to photograph and document the way she makes it. 
If you like peas and vegetable sauce and warm moist bowls of food, this is a nice thing to try for when you want something hearty and warming enough but still vegan and light. Enjoy.

Last year: Ginger ale muffins/cupcakes, The magic mushroom-almond soup and Jamon serrano and shrimp tacos (Spanish-Mexican).

Thai chicken and crab curry

This curry (stew) is a delicately flavored creamy dish consisting of meat and vegetable pieces slowly simmered and very flavored, usually served over rice. The version we cooked here wasn't too spicy, but you can kick it up by adding some fresh chili without straying whatsoever from the traditional dish (which comes very often in though-the-roof hot styles). Enjoy :)


Last year: Asparagus, sun-dried tomato, cheese and olive bread, Simple spaghetti with olives, pesto, basil and yellow tomatoes, Roasted pepper salad (Romanian) and Pork salad (with roasted peppers, olives and Parmesan).

Tortilla pizza with wild boar ham and bell pepper

If, like me, you're crazy about thin and crispy pizza crusts and you want something even thinner and crispier than true pizza bases (like ours here), you can try making pizza on a wheat tortilla base. We made this and it complemented the wild boar ham we had on stock wonderfully. Enjoy :)


Last year: Potato and herring salad, Truffle cake (Belgium) and Spicy potato-cheese fritters.

Cucumber salad with poppy-seed vinaigrette (raw vegan)

An easy cucumber salad with an interesting twist: the poppy-seed vinaigrette. Healthy and delicious.
It's the kind of salad you want to bring a fresh note to a hearty main course, not the type to have on its own though. 
Also a nice way of adding more raw to your diet. Happy and green ! :)


Last year: Rice and hazelnut spicy colorful salad, Mexican corn-cakes with avocado-onion salsa and refried beans and Crispy baked chicken with Teriyaki sauce.

Pancakes with macadamia cream and lychees (litchi)

A lovely combination of rich and creamy macadamia spread and delicate and fresh-floral tasting fruit. This has a very good chance of becoming your favorite dessert :)

Last year: Avgolemono (Greek chicken, lemon and egg soup), Dulce de leche, Sweet tart crust (a simple base to start from) and Mini tarts with dulce de leche and red currant. 

Basic pancakes (crêpes) (Romanian)

I wanted to share with you the pancakes (European-style crêpes  not American pancakes) we use in various combinations and recipes. I think I can speak on behalf of all Romanians out there when I say this is our most frequent comfort food. Just make a plate of pancakes really fast and then get creative. Jam and nutella (or simple chocolate spread) are the most common fillings in Romanian kitchens, but so are also some savory variations, for example "clatite ciobanesti" (Shepard's pancakes) with cream cheese and dill.
To cut a long story short, as much as I experimented and created in the kitchen, I never strayed from some of my house's classics, exactly how they were handed down to me by my mother. Better versions might be out there, but I'm loyal to my house's tradition :). Here's my mom's recipe for pancakes. Enjoy.

Last year: Veronique chicken salad (French), Semolina pudding with pear and cardamom puree, Polenta with sour cream and cheese (Romanian) and Focaccia with garlic oil, rosemary and cherry tomatoes (Italian).

Grasshopper hot chocolate

Grasshopper is what usually desserts containing both chocolate and mint are called :). Personally, I always loved the combination - in ice-creams, after-eights and so on.
Stay tuned for our grasshopper brownies and our after-eight dessert cream which we'll post soon if you're a fan of mint and chocolate!
Meanwhile, enjoy your hot drink. :)


Last year: Beefsteak with spicy butter and wedges, Lemon panacota with orange caramel and vanilla panacota with strawberries (Italian), Pasta Primavera (With fennel and asparagus) and Lemon balm cream trout (with baked asparagus).

Carrot and feta rosti (fritters) with raita (Indian-style)

If you like vegetable fritters, light and delicious and Indian-spiced, you'll love these carrot rosti. Full of  grated carrots and cumin, caraway fruit and feta cheese crumbles, they're perfectly balanced by fresh salad leaves, a soothing cilantro raita and a warm flat-bread (wheat tortilla). Quite fun to make too. Enjoy.


Last year: Rosemary marinated and fried potatoes with lemon (vegan), Thyme and lemon spicy olive oil cookies, Karaage (Tatsutaage) Japanese fried chicken and Horiatiki Salata (Greek salad).

Turkey bites in Brie and walnut sauce with grapes

We're great fans of the combination between Brie cheese, walnuts and grapes. We have it just like that, simply out of the bags, at least once a week, in the evenings when we're not in the mood to cook. And since these ingredients go together so well, I decided to make a sauce out of them to accompany little morsels of juicy-crispy turkey breast. The result was great. :) Enjoy.

Last year: Spaghetti with sesame oil, shiitake and chicken, Gnocchi with thyme-butter sauce and browned cauliflower, Red wine baby shrimps with olive and tomato quinoa and Romanian Frigănele (Savory French toast).

Wholewheat pasta with raw roots

This is very fast to throw together and a wonderful way to catch up on your vitamins and raw veggies :). Not the most decadent comfort food out there, but definitely light and healthy and quite delicious. Perfect for a light meal in wintertime. 


Last year: French fries with red onion, Stuffed eggs (with herbs, mushrooms and spicy bits) and White chocolate and basil cream cups with balsamic strawberries (Italian).