Vanilla sugar/extract - from Wikibooks.

Vanilla extract is alcohol containing flavor (vanillin) from the vanilla bean. Vanillin itself, produced by a modern chemical process, is widely sold in a form similar to vanilla extract. When a recipe specifies vanilla, usually the recipe is intended to work with either vanilla extract or vanillin. Such recipes will require modification if whole vanilla beans are used.
Vanilla is also used in the form of vanilla sugar. This can have different meanings depending upon the origin of the recipe. In Scandinavian countries, vanilla sugar is a powdered sugar with a strong vanilla flavour. In these countries, it is the main method of incorporating vanilla flavor into a recipe; vanilla extract is not commonly available. This form of vanilla sugar can be replaced by a roughly equivalent volume of vanilla extract. In other countries, including the United States, vanilla sugar usually is granulated white sugar that has been flavored over some time by a vanilla bean included in the sugar.

Moods of Norway-waffles

Designer duo from Stryn in Norway has become world famous for their colorful clothes and suits, and when they launch a new collection or open a new store; waffles are always served to guests. This recipe is printed on many different Moods products.

Norwegians loves waffles!

Ingredients:

400 g flour
150 g sugar
150 g butter
6 cups milk
2 eggs
1 1 / 2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1 / 2 teaspoon vanilla extract (vanilla sugar)
 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Melt the butter and set it aside to cool slightly.

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, vanilla sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and make a crater in the middle. Pour in milk and whip it all together into a batter. Crack the eggs and whip them into. Finish by stirring in melted butter.

Let the batter swell for at least 30 minutes and cook waffles as usual in hot waffle iron.

Enjoy!! :)

Tapas Inspired catfish - simple, quick and delicious.

Ingredients 4 people:

4 pieces (160 g) catfish
8 garlic cloves
1 lemon
1 parsley
olive oil
2 heart lettuce
salt and pepper 

Cut garlic cloves into thin slices. Rough chop the parsley. Squeeze juice of lemon.

Cut your heart lettuce in half and place it in the bottom of the plate. Add the olive oil, salt and a little lemon juice.

Put salt and pepper on the catfish. Fry it in olive oil over low heat. After a while you add the garlic. When the fish is cooked, approx. 7-8 min, you add the parsley and lemon juice.

 The fish served on top of the heart salad, remember to pour cooking oil over the fish. Serve with baguette.

This always makes me feel healty and great! 

Fresh and good smoothie! Serve ice cold and fresh.  Enjoy! :)

Ingredients for two:

 2 kiwis

 1 / 2 galia (melon)

 2 cups yogurt with melon

 2 1 / 2 cup apple juice

Make ice cubes of apple juice - 6-8 pcs. or use the juice as it is.

 Peel and section the fruit into chunks and run everything in a blender.

Kiwis should not run too long because the stones can then be turned into pieces and tastes like pepper.

 Serve at once.

Indian chicken soup

A great friend made this for me a stormy autumn night, and it has been my favourite ever since!

A fantastic soup with lots of good flavours. Perfect as dinner or a rich lunch. Enjoy! :)

Ingredients for 4 people:

 800 g grilled chicken

 2 l chickenbroth

 3 dl cream

 5 g of fresh ginger

 3 cloves of garlic

 1 red chilli

 3 carrots

 1 apple

 2 onions

 2 tablespoons butter

 1 teaspoon salt

 1 / 2 teaspoon white pepper

 4 fresh coriander

 1 tablespoon curry

Peel the carrots and apples and grate them on a grater.

Peel the chicken free of skin and bones. Share it in strips.

Peel and finely chop onions. Peel and grate ginger root.

Remove the seeds in the chilli by cutting off the top and roll it between your hands to the seeds fall out, or divide it in half and scoop out with a teaspoon.

Chop the garlic and chili.

Add the ginger, garlic and chilli gently in melted butter in a roomy pot.

Add the grated carrots, apples and onions. Sprinkle over the curry. Add the chicken juices or broth.

Leave everything to simmer. Boil for 10 minutes.

Add the chicken meat and cream.

Season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle with fresh coriander before serving.

 Serve with bread.

 

Tips: About Honey

  To substitute honey for sugar in recipes, start by substituting
 up to half of the sugar called for. With a little experimentation,
 honey can replace all the sugar in some recipes. 
  When baking with honey, remember the following:
 Reduce any liquid called for by 1/4 cup for each cup of honey used. 
 Add l/2 teaspoon baking soda for each cup of honey used. 
   Because of its high fructose content, honey has a higher
 sweetening power than sugar. This means you can use less honey
 than sugar to achieve the desired sweetness.
  When measuring honey, coat the measuring cup with non-stick
 cooking spray or vegetable oil before adding the honey.
 The honey will slide right out.
  To retain honey's wonderfully luxuriant texture, always store
 it at room temperature; never in the refrigerator. If your honey
 becomes cloudy, don't worry. It's just crystallization, a natural
 process. Place your honey jar in warm water until the crystals
 disappear. If you're in a hurry, place it in a microwave-safe
 container and heat it in the microwave on HIGH for 2-3 minutes,
 stirring every 30 seconds. Remember, never boil or scorch honey.
(From: http://www.e-cookbooks.net/)

(Tips) Make Your Own Spice Mixes

  FIVE SPICE POWDER
    1 tsp. Ground cinnamon
    1 tsp. Ground cloves
    1 tsp. Fennel seed
    1 tsp. Star anise
    1 tsp. Szechwan peppercorns 
 
  ITALIAN HERB SEASONING
    1 tsp. Oregano
    1 tsp. Marjoram
    1 tsp. Thyme
    1 tsp. Basil
    1 tsp. Rosemary
    1 tsp. Sage 
 
  CINNAMON SUGAR
    7/8 cup Granulated sugar
    2 Tbsp. Ground cinnamon 
 
  TAMARIND PASTE
    1 tsp. Dates
    1 tsp. Prunes
    1 tsp. Dried apricots
    1 tsp. Lemon juice 
 
  CHILI POWDER
    3 Tbsp. paprika
    1 Tbsp. ground cumin
    2 Tbsp. oregano
    1 tsp. red or cayenne pepper
    1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Dessert: Blondies

 Brownies blond sister, a delicious coffee cake flavoured with peanuts and white chocolate.

Ingredients

 100 g butter

 150 g peanut butter

 1 teaspoon vanilla

 175 g brown sugar

 1 egg

 75 g chopped white chocolate

 125 g flour

 1 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat the oven to 175 ° C

 Beat together butter and peanut butter to a creamy consistency. Mix in vanilla, sugar and eggs. Beat in chopped chocolate, flour and baking powder in the end.

 Spread batter into a well greased dish (20 x 30 cm).

 Cooking time: 25-30 minutes.

Enjoy!:)

Salad (seafood): Bean salad with scampi

 This is a simple and filling salad that serves both as lunch and dinner. You could replace haricot beans with other white beans, like for example butter beans.

 

 Ingredients

 1 can (400 g) white haricot beans

 1 finely chopped clove of garlic

 3 finely chopped spring onions

 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

 sea ​​salt and black pepper

 12-16 scampi

 olive oil for frying

Rinse the beans and mix in the garlic, scallions, salt, pepper and olive oil with a tablespoon. Cover it with plastic and let rest in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

 Cook the prawns for 2-3 minutes on each side in olive oil and arrange watercress on 2-3 plates and spread over beans. Arrange the prawns on top of salad and grind over some pepper.

Dessert: Cognac Chocolate

To these it is especially good to use Hennessy. You can choose to make them in paper forms or just chill on the tray. You may well roll the balls in coconut instead of almonds as on the picture.

Ingredients:

 300 g marzipan

 3 oz cognac

 125 g dark chocolate

 100 g chopped almonds or coconut (for garnish)

Roll the marzipan thin and put out 25 small circles with a small glass, etc.

 The marzipan leftovers are mixed with cognac and rolled into small balls. Place the balls on top of the circle.

 Melt chocolate and dip the candy into it. Add the almonds before the chocolate hardens.

Dessert: Apple Brown Betty

This dessert is seen as a real-American dessert but as many others it was Dutch immigrants that brought it with them from Europe.
You can use another type of fruit than apples.
During President Reagan's time, Apple Brown Betty was often seen on the menu at both casual and more formal occasions. It was Nancy Reagan's personal favourite. Long cooking at low temperatures gives this dessert its beautiful dark golden finish.

Ingredients

375 g apples, diced

10 slices white bread, cubed

1 / 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

a pinch of grated nutmeg

a pinch of salt

110 g light brown sugar

115 g melted butter

Preheat the oven to 150 ° C and place the rack a notch further down than the middle of the oven.

Grease a small pie dish with some butter and spread the apples on the bottom of the dish.

Mix together bread cubes, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar and salt in a small bowl and spread this over the apples. Squeeze it firmly down and drip melted butter on top. Bake the pie for approx. 2 hours or until top is golden and crisp and the apples are tender. Turn the temp. slightly up towards the end if the top needs a little more browning.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!:)

Dinner (seafood): Coriander Prawns with Longjing tea leaves

Longjing is the type of green tea used in the Hangzhou region in China about 2 hours from Shanghai. If you do not get this type of tea you can of course use a different type of mild green tea you like.

Ingredients:

 1 egg

 100 g potato starch

 Peanut oil

 8 large cleaned prawns or tiger prawns with tails on

 Steamed Jasmine rice

 ----

 Herb sauce:

 2 crushed cloves of garlic

 A handful of fresh chopped coriander

 4 large bunches broccoli

 2 pinches of sea salt

 1 tablespoon Longjing tea leaves

 ----

 Crispy tea leaves:

 1 tablespoon peanut oil

 2 tbsp Longjing tea leaves

 Whisk together eggs and flour to a smooth batter.

 Fill wok 1 / 4 full with oil and heat up to approx. 180 ° C. Check with a small piece of bread that the oil is ready. Is the golden brown in approx.15 seconds, you can begin. Dip shrimp in batter and drop down into the oil one by one. Bake them until they are golden brown and let them drain well on kitchen paper.

 Use a blender and run together all ingredients to the sauce.

 Pour the oil out of the wok, dry it quickly with some kitchen paper and pour in the sauce. Give it a quick boil and remove the wok from the heat.

 Bake the tea leaves quickly in a small pan until they are crispy and put those on paper towels to let them run off. Spread rice on two plates, add the prawns and pour over the sauce. Finish with the crispy tea leaves. Enjoy! :)

Breakfast: Heavenly BIGBANG pancakes

I love Sheldon eating habits in the series The Big Bang Theory. As long as things are done his way, he is a fairly competent cook even though he eats a lot of take-away food. He makes breakfast and then these pancakes are on the menu every Tuesday. They should be enjoyed warm with sliced fruit, usually strawberries, whole blueberries and just the right amount of maple syrup.

Ingredients:
250 g flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups of milk

1  egg

3 tablespoons melted butter

Mix together flour, salt, sugar and baking powder into a bowl and make a crater in the middle. Add the butter, the egg and milk and use a whisk to gradually add the liquid into the flour. The batter should be quite thick.

 Heat a little butter in a just over a medium hot pan and fry the small thick pancakes. Enjoy! :)