Scottish cardamom griddle scones, with butter and honey

We all know scones as the traditional English cookies served with tea (especially Devonshire tea, or cream tea as it's called). But the original scone was actually Scottish, and it was fried (on a griddle - or, in our case, a heavy-bottomed pan) rather than baked, and it also had the shaped we reproduced here: a large flat round cut into triangle squares. Don't worry about the frying part: it's dry-frying, without any fat whatsoever.
Considering that this is the British-Scottish (as in non-American) version of the famous tea cookies, they're only slightly sweetened, being meant to be served with clotted cream and jam on top. Or, in this case, the match we found (inspired from here) was even better: butter spread on top while they're hot and honey. You won't believe how well it all goes together, but trust us, you'll never want to have them any other way. And considering how fast they are to make you'll want to make them all the time :)

Tagliatelle with Gorgonzola and spinach sauce

One of my major frustrations regarding the pregnancy-related culinary restrictions is the moldy cheeses. I could eat Brie everyday ever since I first discovered it, but must now restrain from anything like it because soft cheeses like that are made from non-pasteurized milk, which makes them not safe during pregnancy. 
You can imagine my joy when I discovered this recipe from the lovely girls from Kiss the Cook (which I love by the way) incorporating moldy cheese in a heat-exposed sauce transforming all those nasty raw milk bacteria into something not only edible (as is safe) but also delicious. 
My other source of major frustration is the ban on caviar and raw smoked salmon, but since there's no way around that one, let's NOT talk about it (murderous gaze). 
Back to happy sunny stuff: here's the awesome recipe. Incredibly easy to make too. And a lovely way to domesticate the blue mold taste if you find it too strong in some cheeses when eaten raw (like I do sometimes). Enjoy :)

Simple strawberry, cream and rice crispies treat

Ok, this isn't really much of a recipe but a nice idea for decorative way to serve your fruits and cream :). Still, if you prepare them before hand, it looks cute and impressive to any friends you might have down for tea and the texture combination with the rice chocolate-coated crispies give the classical strawberry-and-cream an interesting twist. You only need some pretty glasses and a few minutes to layer all the goodies :)

Sweet potato and prosciutto starter

This starter was very easy to make and tasted very classy due to all the flavor contrast - the carrot and pumpkin like sweetness of the sweet potatoes with the fleshy smokiness of the ham and richness of mayonnaise with a strong citrus tang. It's really no big deal to make them but they look and taste very different than what you usually have as a starter. Enjoy :)
Recipe source here.

Fritata with bell peppers and Tirolean sausages

A fritata is basically an omelet with lots of filling, somewhat thicker, that comes from the Italian kitchens. 
There's something similar in the Spanish cuisine, that also contains potato slices, and it's called a tortilla (not the same with the Mexican flatbread) - remember our herbal tortilla de patatas with parsley and fennel?

But enough theory - this is a simple and yummy lunch :)

Spicy Guinness Mustard (Irish)

If you're a fan of dark stout beer (that also happens to be great for cooking) and of lovely Irish things in general, like us, you'll love this home-made mustard which you can use for lots and lots of happy cooking adventures to come (like our mustard soup or salad dressings and so on). It's full of wintery spices, the dark stout flavor and of course, freshly soaked and ground brown mustard seeds. Can be diluted 1:1 with yogurt for a milder taste, but its strength will mellow with time none-the-less. 
Recipe source: Saveur.  

Signing back in

Dear friends,

In case you were wondering about our long absence, know that everything is fine and we haven't given up on this blog or our adventures in the kitchen :).

Even more good news (at least for us): we are expecting a baby into our family at the end of January. Everything is going great, but the first 3-4 months of pregnancy have made cooking a bit.. difficult (due to the nausea and other less-than-pleasant symptoms and culinary restrictions). Anyhow, that is now behind us and you can expect to see up post more delightful delights soon.

We'll keep in touch with you guys (and we'll keep up the cooking) :).

Bis bald,
Miriam and Bogdan.

Spicy shrimp and wild rice soup (Chinese)

This is one of our favorite soups. If you're not a seafood lover, this could be the ideal thing to start with to get more open to the seafood experience. Also a good start to get introduced to Chinese cuisine. It's not too spicy (depending on how much chili powder you feel like adding), and the watery part of it tastes like the ideal addition to the wild rice and the shrimps. Goes perfectly with a home-made bread. Enjoy :)
Recipe source here. 

Straciatella cream pie (Italian)

Straciatella is an Italian term meant to describe any white vanilla flavored cream full of dark chocolate bits every here and there, a term most of all applicable to a type of gelato (Italian icecream). But also more consistent (and not frozen) dessert creams bear the lovely name of Straciatella.
Here is an example of a pie filled with that delicious cream. Enjoy.

Stuffed baked avocados (with rice, cream and pine nuts) (Middle Eastern)

We've had stuffed avocados before in some restaurants and we've come up with our version which we particularly enjoyed. But this is the first time we've ever heard of baked stuffed avocados and were intrigued. Apparently it's a Middle Eastern recipe and after we've made it we weren't disappointed. You should try it at least once. Enjoy :)
Adapted mostly from here.