Monthly Archives: July 2010

Orange Granita

Posted on July 22, 2010 by zoomyummy | Leave a comment

orange granita recipe with step-by-step images, orange slushie recipe, how to serve orange granita

Mmmm…my first encounter with granita…that was something truly amazing.

It happened during my vacation in Italy a couple of years ago.

Oh, I will never forget that moment.

Actually, I was spending the holiday with my sister and her family then. One lovely morning we decided to have a proper look at the village we were staying in…so – under the burning Italian sun – we walked every street, saw every sight and met ever person possible.

Phew!

My feet still get depressed when they remember that.

After a couple of hours, as knackered as people can get, we decided to relax in a cute café sitting on top of a hill and offering a magnificent sea view.

And GRANITA.

First of all, the cup I was given amazed me with its wonderfully colorful content.

And then…wow…that first mouthful…OH, THAT FIRST MOUTHFUL…it was the most refreshing, invigorating and memorable dessert in my whole life.

During all the years that followed, just until recently, I hadn’t even dared to think I could prepare that delectable treat at home (you know, they make it in those big ‘freezing-and-mixing’ tanks).

But now the things have changed.

And you know what?

Granita might be the simplest and easiest dessert there is.

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THESE are the ingredients!

1. First, pour the juice into a saucepan and place it over medium-low heat.
2. Add the sugar and stir.

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3. Add the lemon juice and continue stirring just until the sugar has dissolved.
4. Remove from heat.

orange granita recipe with step-by-step images, orange slushie recipe, how to serve orange granita

5. Then find a larger (4 cup – 1 liter) ‘freezer-friendly’ container and pour the mixture in.
6. Cover with a piece of parchment paper and put in your freezer.

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7. After about 2 hours into the freezing process, remove the container from the freezer and move the liquid around with a fork, breaking the forming crystal structure. Put back in the freezer.
8. Repeat this process about 3 more times (every 2 hours). Then let freeze for as long as you wish.

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This is what I got after leaving the mixture in the freezer overnight.

Wonderful granita!

See? It’s doubled in volume.

orange granita recipe with step-by-step images, orange slushie recipe, how to serve orange granita

To serve the orange granita, you can use some fresh oranges. Just cut an orange in half and, using a spoon, remove its flesh. Let freeze for a couple of hours. That way you’ll get a nice, cooling and impressive bowl.

Enjoy, dear friends.

Posted in desserts, recipe

Tagged cooking, desserts, ice, refreshing, summer, sweet | 9 Comments

Terrific Moving Tips

Posted on July 21, 2010 by zoomyummy | Leave a comment

Okay, I have a little secret to share.

Since it seems pretty sure now, I can officially say that we are moving. We’ve just sold our flat where we’ve spent almost five years and decided to head for another town and for some new life experiences.

And you know what?

I am all happy about it (AHAI).

Do you like my new abbreviation?

I guess it’s gonna go viral!

Yeah, being humble is one of my biggest strengths.

Anyway, I’ve been AHAI for the past few days. Okay, my consumption of chocolate bars might have tripled and I might have been trembling with fear here and there (okay, it looks more like random spasms), but all in all, I see this as a great experience and an open road to new opportunities.

Change is good.

At least, they say so (TSS).

As a true blogger I also thought that I’d definitely share my moving experiences with you. You know, the little tricks on how to do things better and more effectively. Like how to get those twenty pairs of shoes into one box or that you should establish an ‘open me first box’ that will contain loads of chocolate bars and a bottle of vodka.

I was planning all that feverishly only to find out that my fate has something way better prepared for me.

My fate and my guiding angels are so kind that they sent my parents for a holiday at the exact same time when our packing needs to be done…leaving their dog and canary and zillions of plants to be taken care of by their sweet daughter…which is me, of course.

My parents know nothing about the fact that we are moving, we just didn’t want to spoil their holiday.

So here I am, packing my necessary cooking stuff (because, you know guys, I will bring you new cooking posts at any conditions, nothing is going to stop me in that) and leaving for my parents’ house delegating all the moving onto my beloved boyfriend.

Girls, it’s all about delegation.

That is the only thing that really matters.

DELEGATION.

And my boyfriend?

Well, he’s doing fine… he’s munching on a chocolate bar and is AHAI. But don’t worry about him – he’ll be given very precise phone instructions.

See you soon, dear friends.

(P.S. Mom’s kitchen stuff is awesome!)

Posted in diary

Tagged fun, moving | 9 Comments

Pierogi with Chive Filling and Cheese Sauce

Posted on July 20, 2010 by zoomyummy | Leave a comment

Pierogi, pierogi…what an interesting name.

Martha Stewart, for example, likes to make them and talk about them quite often.

Have you noticed?

It’s kind of the national food of the country her parents came from – Poland.

These cute, boiled dumplings with various kinds of fillings are spread and enjoyed over vast regions of Europe and America too.

Well, who knows, maybe also somewhere else.

If you know more, feel free to let me know.

I’d be very thankful.

Now I’m really curious – do you know them?

Do you like them?

Would you give them a try?

Or would you rather hide around a corner scared?

Well, I gave them a try, and not just once, and you know what?

They are yummilicious…

These are the ingredients I used to make very simple pierogi.

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.

2. Add the egg and the butter.

3. Using a pastry blender or a fork, incorporate the butter and egg into the flour until crumbs form.

4. Add the water.

5. With your hand, gather all the ingredients into a ball and knead until it’s rather smooth (for about 4 minutes).

The dough will be a little sticky. To make the kneading easier, dip your hand in some flour.

6. Now place the dough ball onto a well-floured working surface and roll it out into about 1/5 inch (0.5 cm) thickness.

7. Then grab a 3-inch (7.5 cm) cookie cutter – or a glass (see? I like the easier solutions so much – probably because I have no clue where my cookie cutter is right now) and cut out cute circles.

The glass or the cutter cuts into the dough much more easily if you dip it into some flour before.

8. Now we are going to magically turn the dough circle into pierogi.

For these very special purposes, we need the filling.

There are dozens of recipes for scrumptious pierogi fillings out there – sweet or savory. What I think is that this one might be the easiest of them all. Because all you have to do is just open your cream cheese container.

TA DA!

In case you would like to prepare your own flavored cream cheese filling, just go ahead and combine about 3/4 cup plain cream cheese with 1/4 cup plain yogurt, add about 1/2 cup chopped chives and salt to taste. Easy!

9. Place a small spoonful of the filling into the center of each circle.

10. Fold over.

11. And with your fingertip press the edges together to seal.

You can also use a fork to crimp the edges.

I used this gadget.

I love it from the deepest depths of my heart.

One day, I might break loose and write a poem about the pierogi press.

It’s my sweetheart from the first day we met.

I’m sure you’d love it too…

…if you saw this.

Amazing.

The best helper ever!

Hello little cuties.

You are having a bath soon!

12. To cook the pierogi, fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.
13. Add the pierogi and cook – I recommend cooking them in three batches.

At first, your pierogi will sink. Stir them a little so that they don’t get stuck to the bottom. After a couple of minutes they will rise to the top – from this point on let them cook for additional 2 more minutes.

14. Using a spoon, remove the pierogi from the pot.

15. Drizzle some vegetable oil over a plate or a bottom of a pot and transfer the beauties there.

Toss them around every now and then (while the second and third batches will be cooking) so that they don’t get dry.

16. Meanwhile, you can prepare the sauce.

Again, it’s unbelievably simple and easy.

But then, I am afraid I am never going to come up with something difficult.

So…in a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk until the mixture starts to bubble.

17. Then add the broth, milk…

…and the cheese.

Stir until combined.

Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring constantly. Then remove the saucepan from heat.

18. Oh, and then I added the sweet paprika powder.

I just thought it would create a nice color contrast between the pierogi and the sauce.

Yummy.

Pierogi taste best when served warm (and with love, preferably).

Enjoy, dear friends.

(This recipe makes 22 pieces of pierogi and I guess you won’t spend more than one hour preparing it.)

Posted in dumplings

Tagged cheese, cooking, cream cheese, dumplings, main dish, pierogi, recipe | 23 Comments

Galette with Ricotta and Zucchini

Posted on July 16, 2010 by zoomyummy | Leave a comment

Aren’t galettes just the cutest things ever?

That is probably the reason number one why I love making them so much.

I also adore their rustic and simple look – there’s something very romantic about it. When I make galettes I like to imagine I am going back in time and meet some of my ancestors who definitely must have made zillions of pastries like this.

In addition, galettes always amaze me by their wonderful contrasty taste and countless variations.

So far, for this site, I’ve already made two galette recipes – savory Cabbage Galettes and sweet Apple Galettes.

Both tasted heavenly.

Yum!

For some reason, up till now, I thought galettes are the perfect fall or winter treat. Well, was I surprised when I came across this wonderful recipe at Smitten Kitchen. Things clicked and from now on I am a huge ‘galette-as-a-perfect-summer-treat’ propagator.

Just imagine: chilled, tart ricotta filling infused with flavorful spices meets refreshing, slightly crunchy zucchini and that is all lovingly wrapped in irresistible, flaky, fragrant crust.

Mmmm.

Definitely worth trying.

This is the yummy stuff I’ve used.

1. To make your own galette, first whisk together the flour and salt in a larger bowl.
2. Sprinkle bits of the butter over the flour mixture.

3. Using a pastry blender (or just a simple fork), cut the butter in until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and water…

5. …and add this to the flour/butter mixture.

6. Now use a rubber spatula to gather and combine the mixture into a ball-like shape.

7. Then bath your hands in flour up to your shoulders (kidding! palms are enough!) and form a nice ball out of the dough.

You don’t need to knead or work too much on this dough – it’s perfect when it just holds together.
8. Refrigerate the dough for about 1 hour.

9. Meanwhile, slice the zucchinis into 1/4 inch thick rounds.

10. Spread the rounds out over two layers of paper towels.
11. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and let drain for 30 minutes.

These are our lovely zucchini rounds after 30 minutes. See how the towels are all wet?

12. Blot the tops of the rounds dry with paper towels before using.

13. Now, press the garlic into a small bowl.
14. Add the olive oil and whisk together.

15. Here the lovely ingredients can’t wait to meet each other and coexist in a perfect harmony.

I am namely talking about the ricotta, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, olive/garlic mixture, sweet paprika powder, black pepper and salt.

In other words, mix the filling ingredients just until combined.

Set aside some olive/garlic mixture to drizzle on top of the galette.

16. To assemble the galette, remove the dough from the fridge and place it on a well floured surface.
17. Roll the dough out into a 14-inch (35 cm) round.

18. Transfer to an ungreased, round 6 x 2 inches (15 x 5 cm) baking dish.

19. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the bottom of the galette dough,…

20. …leaving a 2-inch border.

I’ve used a little more ricotta than the recipe called for because, hm…, because I don’t even know why. I just probably couldn’t stop adding it in. Yeah, the control thing – I should work on that. But I’ll definitely follow the given ricotta measurement next time – now I see that the proportions are perfect.

21. Shingle the zucchini attractively on top of the ricotta in concentric circles, starting at the outside edge.
22. Drizzle the remaining garlic and olive oil mixture evenly over the zucchini.
23. Fold the border over the filling, pleating the edge to make it fit (the center will be open).
24. Brush crust with egg yolk glaze.

25. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 1 hour (or until the zucchini is slightly wilted and the galette is golden brown).

Although you can serve this wonderful galette at any temperature, I loved it best refrigerated.

Enjoy, dear friends!

Posted in galette, pastry

Tagged baking, galette, pastry, recipe, recipe with images, refreshing recipe, summer, summer baking, summer recipe | Leave a comment

Three Ways to Increase Contrast in Photography

Posted on July 14, 2010 by zoomyummy | Leave a comment

Have you ever considered increasing contrast in your photos?

If I should speak for myself, I clearly remember the days when I was looking at the pictures I’d made and thought:‘Why, oh why does there have to be that ugly gray cast over my photos? I don’t want it to be there. I want my pictures to be vibrant and crisp!’

To solve this problem I first decided to pray and cry and scream and kick around and then cry some more (because that is the usual way how I solve my problems)…and then I remembered that times have changed and all that one needs to do to solve all the problems is to sit on her butt and start googling.

So I googled.

And did I find gorgeous things!

Basically, I came across three ways to increase contrast.

They can be used separately or all together.

Just have a look:

This is a SOOC (straight out of camera) picture that I made a couple of months ago on one of our trips.

And this is what I got after I opened my Photoshop and played for a while.

Note: I am using Photoshop Elements 8.

1. This is the first way to achieve better contrast in your pictures.

The change is rather subtle here – the final picture is a bit more defined and also slightly more vibrant.

To use the first method go to ENHANCE (situated in the tool menu on top of your screen) -> ADJUST LIGHTING -> BRIGHTNESS/CONTRAST.

A small window will pop up.

In that window, drag the Contrast slider to the right just until you like the picture.

Try to be gentle since this method is rather strong.

And here we are with a tad better contrast.

But we want more, right?

2. This is the second method I’ve found.

In this case, go to ENHANCE -> ADJUST COLOR -> ADJUST COLOR CURVES.

A big window will pop up.

In this window you’ll see four sliders. Drag them so that you achieve a slight S-shaped curve on the graph.

This method is very effective, very gentle to the picture and it also pumps up your colors a little.

You just have to love it.

But there’s something that you’ll love even more…you’ll actually love it more than anything in this world…

3. And this is it – raising contrast with UNSHARP MASK.

Yes, I hear you – you use unsharp mask to sharpen your images.

And that is precisely what its primary purpose is.

But if you happen to adjust it ‘crazily’ – you’ll witness a miracle.

Just try it for yourself…go to ENHANCE -> UNSHARP MASK.

Now you’ll see a small window with three sliders – Amount, Radius and Threshold.

We are going to work with first two only.

With the first slider (Amount) go somewhere from 10 to 25 and with the second one (Radius) go almost to the end of the line.

And get amazed!

A am not lying when I say that I nearly shed a tear when I saw the result of this method for the first time.

It’s breathtaking.

The image is so much crisper, vibrant and more real.

I just love it!

Okay, being gentle with photo processing is one thing.

And I highly recommend that.

But being so greedy that you can’t help yourself from applying all the contrast increasing ways you know to one picture is something totally different.

I think that it’s done by people who want their images to be obnoxiously soaked up with everything there is to get.

I don’t know people like that.

All I know is that the picture above has all three methods applied to it.

(Oh, and in the last picture, that ‘someone’ also freed the horses’ heads from the shadow by going to ENHANCE -> ADJUST LIGHTING -> SHADOWS/HIGHLIGHTS.)