Uzticamie mafini

Sagribējās kaut ko saldu pie kafijas, bet mājās nekā nebija. Izlēmu izcept savus uzticamos mafinus (pamatrecepte šeit), tikai šoreiz klāt neliku citrona miziņu, un arī saldētu melleņu man nebija (ja pavisam godīgi, es pat nepaskatījos saldētavā).

Saldēto ogu vietā katram mafinam uzliku pa trim - četrām rozīnēm. Sanāca tīri tā neko. Protams, ka ar ogām ir daudz zaftīgāk un garšīgāk, bet arī šādi, vienkāršāki, mafini reizēm noder. 

Paldies, ka ieskatījies Pieliekamajā!

Dzimšanas dienas kūka

Dzimšanas dienas kūka -

divi kūkas pamati ar citrona miziņu, lāceņu ievārījums, vārītais krēms, putukrējums, ogas, un ekskavātors! Un cipara svecīte.

Paldies, ka ieskatījies Pieliekamajā!

Kravas mašīnas kūka

Atradu bildi un pati nopriecājos -

šī ir viena no visskaistākajām un mīļākajām tortēm, ko esmu taisījusi. Ideju, cik atceros, toreiz atradu Pintrestā. Noderēs, lai iepriecinātu gan lielus, gan mazus puišus.

Paldies, ka ieskatījies Pieliekamajā!

Cukinī kūka

Pavisam vienkārša cukinī kūka, oriģinālrecepte no ica.se, šeit.

Sastāvdaļas:
piciņa sviesta
rīvmaize
3 olas
2 dl cukura (1dl ir 100ml)
2 dl miltu
1 ēd.kar. kanēļa
nepilna ēd.kar. malta kardamona
3 tējkar. cepampulvera
1,5 dl eļļas (es lēju olīveļļu, pamatreceptē ir saulespuķu eļļa)
3 dl rupji sarīvēta cukinī
1 dl rupji sasmalcinātu valriekstu (var izlaist, ja nav mājās)
ogas dekorēšanai, ja ir vēlēšanās

Darba secība:
Uzsilda cepeškrāsni uz 175C.
Ar sviestu izsmērē cepamformu un izkaisa ar rīvmaizi.

Sakuļ olas ar cukuru. Atsevišķā bļodiņā sajauc pārējās sausās sastāvdaļas un liek klāt olu-cukura maisījumam. Pielej klāt eļļu, samaisa, un iemaisa sarīvēto cukini.

Liek cepties krāsns apakšdaļā uz minūtēm 40.
Izdekorē ar ogām, vai ēd tāpat.

Piezīmes:
Visgaršīgāk ir ar valriekstiem, bet šovakar man to mājās nebija, un tāpat sanāca labi. Esmu šai kūkai likusi virsū arī krēmsiera glazūru, recepte šeit, pie burkānkūkas.

Paldies, ka ieskatījies Pieliekamajā!

Šokolādes mafini

Uzticamie šokolādes mafini ar mitru viduci. Ļoti ātra un vienkārša recepte, astoņas sastāvdaļas, un parasti viss vajadzīgais jau ir mājās. Oriģinālrecepte (zviedru valodā) šeit.

Sastāvdaļas:
100 gr sviesta
2 olas
nepilni 2 dl cukura (1 dl = 100 ml)
2 tējk. vaniļas cukura
0,5 tējk. cepampulvera
2 garšvielu karotes (vai šķipsnas) sāls
4 ēdamkar. kakao
2 dl miltu

Darba secība:
Uzsilda cepeškrāsni uz 200 C.
Mazā katliņā izkausē sviestu. Uz plāts saliek mafinu formiņas.

Bļodā sakuļ olas ar cukuru. Liek klāt vaniļas cukuru, cepampulveri, sāli un kakao, samaisa.

Pieliek klāt miltus un izkausēto sviestu, samaisa. Pilda mafinu formiņās un cep minūtes 6 - 8. Svarīgi nepārcept, jo tad sanāks sausi mafinīši. Nevajag baidīties no jēla viduča, tur visa receptes jēga, ka mafins ir ar lipīgu viduci.

Piezīmes:
Mafinus var atdzesēt zem dvieļa, tā mafini sanākot mīkstāki. Dvielis pēc tam būs jāmazgā, jo pierauj drusciņ klāt pa kādai mafinu virsmai, bet tas jau nekas.

Paldies, ka ieskatījies Pieliekamajā!

Cherries

Power snack: avocado and almonds

According to some study, people who ate half an avocado for lunch stayed sated longer, or something like that. In my quest to eat for endurance, energy, and grace,

I've embraced these findings, and am trying to eat more avocado. Does it work? I think so. With avocado, I can be hungry as opposed to extremely hungry by lunchtime. In these pictures, I am trying a cottage cheese/curd/yogurt type of dairy product (kvarg in Swedish) that is currently very trendy in Sweden. What works best for me is

avocado with my hard bread sandwiches, and then in the afternoon, almonds with raisins, sometimes with kvarg.

Have I peeled a (washed) avocado on the train? Yes, I have.

Have I brought real silverware with me on the train? Yes, of course.

If I make a huge pasta salad, and eat only some of it for lunch, I'm so happy to have some extra food (that I made, for me) to tie me over until dinner on my ride home. Besides the environmental issue of sparing the world one more plastic fork that had to be produced and that I am most likely going to throw away un-recycled, I like using my favorite (real) fork.

So. Try some avocado, and use some of your favorite things more often.

Thank you for stopping by Pieliekamais!

The One (Cake) Decorating Secret I Learned in France - and How You Can Use It for Valentine's Day

Not that it was very secret, but I first noticed this combination in Paris many years ago, and it stuck - for a happy, bright cake (or pastry), decorate with

strawberries and pistachio nuts. So pretty!

This is a birthday cake I made for a friend a long time ago, and the letter candles spell out "Congratulations!" in Swedish.

Have a beautiful day!

Thank you for stopping by Pieliekamais!

Musli batoniņi / Musli bars

How I "wasted" expensive musli, but there are lessons learned (recepte zemāk būs latviski). These musli bars are part of my 2015 foodie resolutions, and I'm happy to report that

this recipe checks two resolution boxes: both my "one new sweet thing a month" and "utilize all food".

One of the food items that I regularly throw out is egg white that I have left over after using the yolk. So I had this one musli bar recipe set aside for quite a while because it called for egg whites. I have now tried this recipe, and my conclusion is this: musli bars is not my thing.

 

I would have been so happy to eat this expensive, GI (glycemic index)-smart musli with milk, and I would have been so happy to eat a fig or two with my coffee. But in bar form, this snack was neither here nor there for me. I wanted the bars to taste much sweeter. Dip them in dark chocolate, perhaps?

Bottom line: I love this musli as a treat, I just won't put it in bar form. But I am glad I tried this recipe. Now the recipe in Latvian, and after that some conclusions in English again.

 

Sastāvdaļas:

7 dl (1dl = 100ml) musli (Risenta GI-gudrais muslis ar godži ogām, ķirbju un saulespuķu sēklām, kinoa un griķu pārslām)

12 žāvētas vīģes (apm. 250gr = 1 paciņa)

2 tējk. medus

1 ēd.kar. kanēļa (man bija par daudz, liktu mazāk)

4 olu baltumi

3 ēd.kar. sezama sēklu

 

Darba secība:

Uzsilda cepeškrāsni uz 125C. Sagatavo cepamo plāti ar cepampapīru (es izsmērēju arī ar sviestu, nezinu, vai vajadzēja). Ja muslī ir mandeles vai citi rieksti, nedaudz sasmalcina.

Sasmalcina vīģes, lai būtu diezgan lipīga masa ar vīģu gabaliņiem. Bļodā nedaudz sakuļ olbaltumus, tad maisa kopā visas sastāvdaļas, lai būtu lipīga mīkla.

Uz plāts veido divus kukuļus, lipina kopā, lai sanāk apmēram šādi:

Liek cepties krāsns viducī uz 20 min.

Atdzisušus sagriež gabalos un uzglabā ledusskapī slēgtā traukā.

 

Notes:

Recepte ir no paciņas, no Risenta GI-smart musli.

 

The awesome thing is that one of the egg-whites that I used was over a week, maybe two weeks, old. I am "thorough with hygiene" (such a Swedish saying :), "noga med hygien") when I save the egg-whites, so now I have learned that a chilled egg-white can keep in the fridge for quite a while (do the sniff test, of course, and use common sense).

 

Click here for my 2015 foodie resolutions.

 

Thank you for stopping by Pieliekamais!



This Year at Pieliekamais: A round-up of 2014

In honor of 2014, and some of the lessons that this past year has brought me, here's a Top 10 of 2014:
10. A tool you can use -

this year, Pieliekamais got a bit more user-friendly with the addition of the "search" function (you'll find it at the top of the page, below the Pieliekamais heading). Use it to search Pieliekamais for content. Thank you to my sister for the idea!

9. The most popular post at Pieliekamais continues to be

the oven-baked salmon. This salmon is one of my favorite dishes to make, and it comes out great every single time. I've recently experimented with lowering the oven temp to 175C and having the salmon fillets in for 20 minutes, and that also works out great.

8. One of the most fun recipes I've tried this year is

the "dirt and worm dessert." I experience a very happy sense of satisfaction when I look at this picture, because it cracks me up. Smiley.

7. The most ambitious project here at Pieliekamais this year has been

blogging for 31 days straight - joining The Nester's 31 Day Writing Challenge. My topic was 31 Days to More Abundance. In this post, which also contains all 31 parts of my series, I share the lessons learned, and a few surprises.

6. I'm the most pleased that I tried this recipe in 2014:

the nettle soup. I love that I can go to the woods close by and pick some nettles that moose and deer mamas and their calves (occasionally) trample on. Nettles in soup taste excellent, the leaves are meaty, like spinach. And there is no stinging.

5. Speaking of woods, I've been very happy that I could share some of

the goings on of the local forests. I learned from a friend that there are people in, for example, Paris, who miss being out in the woods and in nature. If I can bring you guys some fresh air from Sweden via Pieliekamais, that makes me very happy. I am so very grateful to have all this bounty almost on my doorstep.

4. What would the great outdoors be without animals -

here are some happy sheep. I wish for you, my reader, to connect with some being every day.

3. One of the best things in life is


movies. Here's a list of five very cozy ones, perfect for winter-, and most other, evenings.
Photo credit: imdb.com

2. Pretty pictures - I was very pleased with how the photos for this carrot cake turned out:

And yes, I selected the flowers for my garden this year 90 percent based on how the flowers would photograph.

1. When in doubt, do dishes. Cooking is also almost always a good idea.

To you, my reader - thank you for being here this year! I hope you too are excited about a brand new year, a new leaf, a fresh start, a new beginning. Tomorrow morning, many things will be the same, but some things will be different. It is a new year.

For last year's Top 10 on Pieliekamais, head here (the post is in Latvian).

Also, for anyone who needs permission to change into pajamas and snuggle up on the sofa with a good DVD box - this is it. Happy New Year!

Thank you for stopping by Pieliekamais! See you next year!

Day 26: Craftsmanship

Craftsmanship and the feeling of abundance go hand in hand for me. Earlier this fall, I had the pleasure of experiencing not one, but two types of craftsmanship in one day.

I did not know that there is a Latvian company that builds such luxurious beds and headboards (see below) right there in Latvia. I'm glad I happened to visit the store and showroom of Nakts Mēbeles, and even happier about the fact that I got to learn a bit more about the materials and how the beds are made, and that there is an actual old factory restored that's in use today. I loved the hot cocoa color of this headboard:

and the texture of the fabric was so cozy.

Very neat details, and I also loved 

this gallery wall (below) with the company history in photographs. I love the browns and the creams, and the gold here.

I am fascinated by people who are experts at something, people who are passionate about their thing, people who put in the time. It was therefore a pleasure to meet Žanis Raivo Behmanis, the sous-chef of the restaurant Kuk Buk, the creator of this:

My friend and I were presented with this "compliments from the chef" dessert tasting menu. I was very excited and so happy that someone would take the time to create something so beautiful. My friend said that a tasting menu like this would be an excellent ice-breaker for first dates, and I agree - there's nothing like bonding over a new experience, nothing like exploring all these tastes on one plate. I loved that the overall dessert theme was so Nordic early autumn:

we were treated to beetroot mousse made with cottage cheese and served with lingonberry chutney (above), pumpkin cream, a truffle brownie, meringue and a smoked apple jam.  And why not decorate with baby salads? Pretty and delicious. There were also raspberries and blueberries, the whole plate was a wonderful surprise, but the best part was getting to meet the chef and talking to him briefly about what's cooking now and in the future.

For another lovely combination, take a look at this chocolate-basil cake.

New here? Happy to see you! You can read all the posts in this 31 day series here.

Note: This is not a sponsored post.

Thank you for stopping by Pieliekamais!

Day 25: Culture Codes

One of my favorite things to read is culture codes. There's almost nothing like being on the other side of the world and suddenly you see something that reminds you of home (like a Norwegian salmon sandwich for breakfast in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, or seeing a long hauler from your country when you're far away from home). The more places you get to know, the more codes you learn. Today, a very Swedish phenomenon for you. Who can tell me what this is?

I first encountered this in a print ad, and I thought it was broccoli cream soup or similar. Well, kids, you're actually looking at a Princess Cake, a classic Swedish cake.
Let's take a closer look:

as you can see, the cake consists of a simple "sugar cake" sponge layered with seedless raspberry jam, vanilla cream, and whipped cream. All of this is topped with green marzipan. One important thing to know here is that in Sweden, whipped cream is always made without sugar (which was a shock for this Latvian to discover).

So while the Princess cake might look very heavy and sugary, the unsweetened whipped cream in combination with the raspberry jam actually makes for a very "fresh" tasting cake (if you remove the marzipan cover, which is meant to be eaten, but it also makes this cake too sweet for me).

To get neat slices, run your knife under hot water, quickly shake the knife off and cut (no need to dry the knife with a towel). Run the knife under hot water after each cut.

The Princess cake comes in different marzipan colors (pink, yellow, white, and even blue), but this lime green is the classic version.

I hope you enjoyed learning about this classic Swedish treat. 

Thank you for stopping by Pieliekamais!

Day 18: Apples and Oranges, With No Sticky Hands

I don't mind eating an apple (or an orange) for a snack from time to time. What I do mind is getting apple juice on my hands. Here's my solution:

I slice and core the apple, pop the slices in this little container, and bring it with me. Then I eat the apple slices with a fork. The same principle applies to oranges. You're welcome.

Thank you for stopping by Pieliekamais!

Day 11: Cake

Sometimes, abundance means letting go of something. Sometimes, it's OK to serve your friends store brought cake. Yes, even though

there are expectations; even though you would have loved to bake a cake, or even a pie, or even "just" muffins.

Today, abundance for me was trusting that my friends would enjoy my company anyway.

Thank you for stopping by Pieliekamais!

Day 7: The Fastest Way to Look Up Your Go-To Recipe

When it comes to my favorite muffins, I want to be always ready to whip them up. I don't want to have to look in my recipe folder, I don't want to turn on the computer, or look the recipe up on a device. So here is what works for me:

I've taped the recipe on the inside of a kitchen cabinet door.

All I need to do now is just crack the cabinet door a little, and there it is. Sometimes, I don't even read the whole recipe, I just scan the ingredients for the correct amounts of sugar, etc.

In my everyday life, I don't even notice that the recipe is there, and since this little piece of paper is taped to the inside of the cabinet door, it in no way disrupts the calm of just white cupboard doors on the outside.

Here is the recipe and the muffin post. While the post is in Latvian, it does also feature a picture of a stunning succulent!

Note: This is not a sponsored post.

Thank you for stopping by Pieliekamais!

Šodien par sīpoliem, āboliem, un savējiem

Biju Latvijā, un gribu izstāstīt par foršu projektu. Visi, kuri šomēnes (septembrī) "Lido" iepērkas par 8 EUR, saņem maisiņu Latvijas ābolu. Šī ideja man lika domāt par pārpilnību, dalīšanos, savējo atbalstīšanu, un to, kā reizēm mūsu vislabākos nolūkus uzvar ikdienas realitāte. Tagad konkrētāk -

Nesenā žurnāla "Ieva" numurā lasīju sarunu ar trim Latvijas saimniecēm, kuras stāstīja par zemnieku situāciju; par to, ka reizēm nākas ābolus sabērt bedrē un atstāt pūšanai, jo veikalam ir vienkāršāk nopirkt ābolus no citas zemes.
Es pati jau ilgi domāju, kāpēc vienmēr savā lielajā veikalā (šeit Zviedrijā) sanāk pirkt sīpolus no citām valstīm, nevis Zviedrijas. Man likās, ka sīpols taču tāds pavisam parasts augs, kāpēc nevar no Zviedrijas? Šajā "Ievas" rakstā izlasīju, ka sīpoliem vajag speciālas, ļoti dārgas, glabātuves, lai sīpoli nesabojātos. Atkal laikam sanāk vienkāršāk un lētāk sīpolus atvest no citurienes.
Lai arī cik es gribētu atbalstīt vietējos zemniekus (tagad runāju par savu vidi Zviedrijā), ikdienā realitāte ir tāda, ka man bieži vajag, lai es visus pirkumus varu izdarīt ātri vienā veikalā, pie kam vēlos, lai šis veikals ir man ērts, tīrs, skaists.
Tāpēc es vienmēr ļoti priecājos par cilvēkiem, kuri izdomā, kā savējos, vietējos atbalstīt tā, lai tas būtu cilvēkiem ērti, praktiski, un vienkārši.
Piemēram, ja veikala saimnieks atbalsta vietējos zemniekus, iepērk vietējos produktus, uzliek zīmi ar uzrakstu, ka šie gurķi, bietes, burkāni vai kas cits ir no tuvējām saimniecībām, es ar vislielāko prieku izvēlēšos šos produktus.
Vēl viens veids, kā atbalstīt vietējos saimniekus, ir

parūpēties par to dabas bagātību, ko mums šobrīd sniedz ābeles. Zini, kā rudeņos pie daudziem vārtiem ir kaste ar āboliem,un saimnieki saka, lūdzu, lūdzu, ņemiet, mums pašiem vairs nav kur likt, tik skaisti āboli, žēl, ka aiziet postā! Tāda dabas pārpilnība. (Bet pārdot ābolus, kā jau minēju, ne vienmēr ir iespējams.)

Šeit Zviedrijā man āboli ir gandrīz uz katras ielas, tik ņem un liec kabatā. Bet ko darīt, ja ikdiena neved gar āboldārzu? Tad "Lido" nāk pretim un iedod maisiņu ar trim skaistiem āboliem. Kā viesim (klientam) man tas ir ērti, jo savu līdakas kotleti es uz Lidiņu tāpat iešu ēst, visbiežāk maltīti ieturēšu ar kādu kopā, un tad tie astoņi eiro tāpat sanāk.

Šī projekta ietvaros "Lido" sadarbojas ar vairākām saimniecībām no visas Latvijas, projektam iepērkot 35 tonnas ābolu.

Āboli, kurus atvedu mājās, pacietīgi gaida, kad es tos pārvērtīšu ābolu mafinos. Domāju par pamatu izmantot šo recepti, manu uzticamo.

Note: This is not a sponsored post.

Paldies, ka ieskatījies Pieliekamajā!

Bruģis ar piparmētru lapām

Iedvesma no manas māsas - Brazīlijas bruģis, rotāts ne tikai ar mellenēm un avenēm, bet arī ar piparmētru lapām. Kas ir Brazīlijas bruģis?

Garšīgs saldais bez cepšanas, recepte šeit. Tikai piecas sastāvdaļas, un, ja vēlas, tad vēl ogas rotāšanai.

Bildes - māsas, visas fotošopa kļūdas manas, bet tas nekas, jo esmu iesācējs!

Vēl māsa taisīja bruģi ar melleņu un laima šķepeļu rotājumu, tas šeit.

Lai visiem salda diena!

Paldies, ka ieskatījies Pieliekamajā!

Mežā ir mellenes un brūklenes

Vakar devos uz mežu skatīties, kas pa lielo karstumu noticis ar mellenēm. Vietām bija jau pārgatavojušās ogas, bet pārsvarā - mežā tāda ogu bagātība! Nu kā var braukt mājās, ja gar takas malu aug šitādas ogas?

Salasīju krietnu maisiņu. Nosvēru, 400 grami, pietiks kādām trim mafinu reizēm! Ieliku saldētavā. Savukārt brūklenes vietām bija

pilnīgi gatavas, citviet atkal - vēl drusciņ jāpagaida.

Mana visuzticamākā mafinu recepte šeit.

Man patīk ogas saldēt izmazgātās piena pakās, vizuālais materiāls šeit.

Paldies, ka ieskatījies Pieliekamajā!

Brazīlijas bruģis ar mellenēm

Tas ir mans sapnis, ja Pieliekamais kādam noder. Esmu sajūsmā, ja kāds ko izmēģina, jo viss prasa laiku un enerģiju. Reko sataisīja mana māsa -

"Brazīlijas bruģi" ar melleņu rotājumu. Recepte šeit. Bildes autors - māsa.

Taisīts ar klasiskajiem Selgas cepumiem, bez cepamās formas, bet kartonā, kurā ieklāta pārtikas plēve (12 punkti par resourcefulness! :) Start where you are and use what you have!).
Pienā mērcēta tikai pirmā cepumu kārta, jo bija bailes, ka visa kūka sabruks. Lai būtu garšīgi, būtu vajadzējis mērcēt visas cepumu kārtas pienā.

Plusi: ļoti viegli
Mīnusi: grūti bez cepamās formas, un bez pienā mērcēšanas - par sausu

Paldies māsai par šo superīgo ieskatu un atsauksmēm!

Skatoties uz šo bildi un diskutējot ar Mammu un māsu iedomājos, ka varbūt varētu arī būvēt šo "bruģi" kā klasisku cepumu torti (t.i. bez formas), un visas malas noziest ar kondensētā piena krēmu (to, ko pilda starp kārtām).

Paldies, ka ieskatījies Pieliekamajā!

Mafinu rotājums ar putukrējumu un mellenēm

Saņēmu īsziņu ar šo bildi un nodomāju, cik super mafinu rotājums. Izskatās, ka putukrējums, un it kā tā aši, "nekārtīgi" uzlikts, bet efekts tik foršs, seemingly so effortless and very beautiful. Imagine my surprise when I found out that

it wasn't some quaint little bakery in Gotland that decorated these muffins, it was my good friend Patrik!

Me: And so did you guys have instant whipped cream in a can, or?

Patrik: No, we whipped it in the boat.

Me: (stunned silence) Oh, wow, really?

Patrik: We had the cream from making Irish coffees.

Me: ...comprehension dawns.... :)

So, I am filing this idea - whipped cream piled on muffins in a "no muss, no fuss" style, plus blueberries - away for future use.

Photograph and styling by Patrik Hautanen. Thank you for letting me use it here on Pieliekamais!

Thank you for stopping by Pieliekamais!